If You Are Willing To Communicate, You Are Able To Mediate

Mediation is a peace-centered process. It differs from adversarial litigation in that it presupposes that divorce is a problem to be resolved instead of a battle to be won.

Judge Anne Kass once said that "the winner of the battle has only sown the seeds for the next war. Mediation removes the war and leads to peaceful resolution of conflict."

Mediation is a process in which you retain control over your outcomes. In mediation the responsibility for making decisions stays where it belongs - with the family. You and your spouse self-determine the important decisions, not a judge, lawyer or law guardian.

Mediation is forward looking. What has happened in the past stays there. This is a time to look forward.

There are many reasons why people have found mediation beneficial:

Mediation emphasizes that divorce is not the end of the family but a reorganization of how the family operates. It acknowledges that a new family structure is being formed and assists you in reaching that outcome.

Issues concerning divorce are emotional and personal rather than legal. Conflict is natural, but often destructive. A mediator, as a neutral third party, seeks to reduce conflict and promote your common needs.

The stress and anxiety associated with divorce, particularly for children, can be reduced. In mediation parents affirm their affection and concern for the children and can reduce the normal fears and anxieties of children concerning the "loss" of one parent.

Self-determination and control over the outcome promotes positive, lasting results for everyone. Those who make a plan are more likely to follow it than those whose decision has been made for them by a court.

Research indicates that the successful adjustment of children following separation and divorce is directly related to the level of cooperation between parents and their continued involvement in the lives of their children. Mediation encourages participants to see themselves, and each other, as capable parents with a continuing responsibility to plan together for the future of their children.