Turning a Failed Marriage into a Successful Divorce
While some believe all marriages are made in heaven, during my many years of private practice as a clinical psychologist I’ve all too often seen how painful and hellish breakups can be when conflict causes them to fail.
As a clinician, I know that if given effective strategies, it’s possible for a divorcing couple to put acrimony aside and to do what’s best for themselves and their family.
In my role as mediator, I don’t provide legal advice or psychotherapy. What I do offer is guidance that can lead parting spouses around their hurt, anger, and bitterness – and instead, point them in a new direction as they prepare for separate lives.
And, if for any reason you’re not satisfied with divorce mediation, you can still hire lawyers and go to court.
About Divorce Mediation
Divorce Mediation will let you end your marriage without money-draining legal fees, hurtful and adversarial testimony given in the public eye, and bitterness that can stand in the way as you and your spouse contemplate new lives.
You’ll have the benefit of a skilled professional who can foster communication, not combat, between the two of you which will make a significant difference in how well you handle your divorce issues.
The goal is agreement without acrimony, reached outside of court and without the expensive and stressful fighting that often occurs when opposing attorneys square off before a judge in proceedings that are open to the public.
As your mediator, I’ll help you resolve conflicts and disputes in a private process ensuring that eventual decisions are yours, alone. You will make them, not lawyers and judges.
Together, you’ll talk about options and I’ll show you creative approaches. With neutrality, I’ll guide you to a fair divorce settlement without pitting you against one another.
What can you expect?
CONSIDERABLE FINANCIAL SAVINGS:
Instead of paying for two attorneys to litigate the ending of your marriage, you and your spouse share the cost of one divorce mediation. The pace, duration, and focus of mediation are strictly up to the two of you.
IMPARTIALITY:
My role is to nurture communication about dividing marital property/debt, and about setting up a post-divorce parenting plan (if you have children). I don't take sides. Oftentimes, to make certain you're equally informed about finances, I co-mediate with a certified divorce financial analyst. The goal is to ensure that each of you walks away from this marriage feeling that you’ve “won” – because that’s the essence of a win-win outcome.
A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING:
Your decisions about money, possessions, and a parenting plan will be spelled out in this document, which you’ll submit for court approval. Instead of multiple combative court appearances, a single session before a judge is usually sufficient.
A (NON) FIGHTING CHANCE:
Mediation is generally far less adversarial than divorce litigation because it encourages the spouses to negotiate with civility and fairness.
YOU RETAIN CONTROL:
At your own pace, the two of you work out the details of your own agreement. In traditional court proceedings your unresolved issues could be decided by a judge.
LESS STRESS ON YOUR CHILDREN:
A “good” divorce ends a marriage, but preserves children’s hopes for a family life that’s financially and emotionally secure. You resolve conflicts about custody, visitation, and who pays for what – and you do this together.