Co-founder and internationally recognized marriage expert Bill Doherty, Ph.D. has been working with therapists, legislators, lawyers, mediators, and clergy for years to better serve couples struggling with divorce decisions. As a researcher, he has documented high levels of divorce ambivalence among couples even after starting the divorce process. As a therapist, he has developed Discernment Counseling, a new way to work with divorce ambivalence presenting in the form “mixed agenda” couples where one partner is leaning out of the marriage and the other wants to save it. This is a frustrating and challenging situation for therapists, lawyers, mediators—and most of all, for the couples themselves.

With his daughter Elizabeth, he developed the vision for the Doherty Relationship Institute and The Doherty Foundation for Social and Civic Well-Being. These legacy projects have a common goal is to strengthen and preserve marriages where possible and to offer a safe landing for a family friendly divorce when a marriage is ending.

In 2016 Bill co-founded the nonprofit Braver Angels, which is trying to prevent a “civic divorce” in the country by bringing together political reds and blues to find common ground. This project has spread around the U.S.

Bill lives with his wife (since 1971) Leah and has a son, Eric, who is an attorney in California, and a daughter Elizabeth Doherty Thomas who co-owns The Doherty Relationship Institute. Bill’s four grandchildren are a light of his life. He begins his day with a meditation practice and, gets in a power walk every other day (hopefully outdoors when Minnesota weather permits), and ends his day with a check in and glass of wine with Leah. In between, he says he has the same energy he had decades ago.