To say that divorce is painful is an understatement. Decisions to end the life you dreamed of, separate yourself from your children and determine how to divide your assets are major life decisions that do not come easily to the healthiest adults.
However, while there may be no way to avoid the pain of dissolving your marriage, mediation can help you lessen the psychological effect it has on you throughout the process. Though you know you are heading into a complicated decision-making process, a third party can assist you and your spouse in maintaining civility as together you work toward reaching agreements.
Mediation can help you reach difficult decisions together
There is a good chance that neither you nor your spouse will get precisely what you want as you go your separate ways. However, rather than having a court make determinations about your family for you, an impartial third party can allow you to maintain some peace while you determine how to proceed.
When situations become escalated, as is often the case in divorce, it is only natural to maintain a heightened sense of emotion where you feel like you must fight for your rights. But when you and your spouse commit to working toward favorable solutions, mediation can be beneficial in ways which include:
- Decision making. You and your spouse can make choices about matters such as child custody and parenting time, rather than allowing a judge to determine an arrangement for you
- Affordability. Since the mediation process typically does not last as long as an extended court battle, your associated costs will likely be less.
- Healthy communication. A mediator facilitates conversation in a non-combative environment where you can openly discuss your ideas, thoughts and opinions.
Whether your concerns lie with what might happen with your children or if your spouse will get away with something at your expense, mediation allows you to specify settlement terms with which you agree. And although you may not have intended to get divorced, mediation can allow you the opportunity to keep your stress level at a minimum while you figure out what you are willing to accept for the next chapter in your life.