Divorce and Family Mediation
- Divorce Mediation
- Post Divorce
- Marriage Mediation and Post-Nuptial Agreements
- Adult Family and Elder Mediation
Divorce Mediation
Mediating a divorce settlement helps protect couples from the destructive effects of an adversarial divorce. For couples with children, mediation helps them separate their spousal role, which is ending, from their parenting role, which is continuing. Our divorce mediators help our clients to:
- Identify the decisions they need to make in order to navigate the divorce process;
- Consider and discuss their interests and options; and
- Document their decisions.
Post Divorce
Sometimes divorced parents face financial issues or parenting concerns that cause conflict after the divorce. Rather than turning to the courts for resolution, divorced parents often use mediation to help them explore options while working within the structure of the divorce decree. By improving communication and developing an understanding of each person’s needs, ex-spouses can reach durable agreements that meet their interests and those of their children.
Marriage Mediation and Post-Nuptial Agreements
Married couples sometimes face serious problems in their marriage. They know things are not working but don’t know what they want to do. They may not be interested in couples counseling but need a forum to address their conflicts and make decisions. Marital mediation provides just that. The issues discussed in marital mediation can include simple things (such as who pays the bills or who does the laundry) along with complex financial issues or difficult discussions about divorce or re-committing to staying married. In marital mediation, couples talk with our mediators about their situation with a view to developing working solutions. Our experienced marriage and divorce mediators can help couples put their agreements into a written document which can, if desired, be turned into a legal contract.
Adult Family and Elder Mediation
When concerns surrounding eldercare, finances, housing, safety, or estates turn into complicated and divisive family conflicts, our experienced elder mediators can help facilitate discussions about each family members’ views along with their changing needs and roles. These family meetings address the issues important to those involved and may include concerns related to driving, caregiver burnout, daily living and assistance needs, estate planning and inheritances. In this highly specialized field of mediation, we pay particular attention to the needs of the senior and we often work with adult siblings who live far from one another and who have for years been displeased with and suspicious of one another. Family discord is particularly challenging and we find that clients who are motivated to participate in mediation can reap benefits to themselves and their children which last for years.
For issues related to elders, caregiving, trusts and estates, please visit the website of our elder mediation division, Elder Decisions, at www.ElderDecisions.com.