When a couple has decided to divorce, they may be looking for the best option to resolve their divorce-related concerns. Divorce mediation can potentially help them resolve those concerns with less acrimony and bitterness and may also be a more efficient way to resolve disputes that saves time and money.
The benefits of divorce mediation
Understanding the potential benefits of divorce mediation when divorcing couples are considering their options for resolving their divorce is helpful information to have. The possible benefits of divorce mediation can include:
- Less costly – divorce mediation can be less costly than litigating a divorce and, in some instances, may even be 10% less costly than a litigated divorce according to some country-wide studies.
- Reduces time and stress – divorce mediation can potentially reduce the amount of time the divorcing couple spends on their divorce and the amount of stress involved in their divorce process. A litigated divorce can take months to years to resolve, while a mediated divorce may take 2-4 months to resolve.
- Better for children – divorce mediation can be better for the emotional and psychological health of the children because it can reduce conflicts between the parents. Rather than engaging in a custody battle, they can mediate their child custody concerns to reach a child custody agreement that is mutually agreed upon.
- More private – divorce mediation is more private and confidential and does not create a public court record litigated divorcing proceedings do.
- Greater control – divorce mediation allows the divorcing couple to have greater control over the outcomes of their divorce rather than a divorce court deciding on those outcomes for them. It also allows the divorcing couple to customize solutions that work for them rather than taking a cookie cutter approach because no two families are the same.
- Provide a framework for future disputes – divorce mediation not only has the ability to preserve relationships during the divorce but can also help preserve them moving forward and creates a framework for resolving disputes that can be utilized down the road in the future. This may also help avoid costly legal disputes that may come up later.
Divorce mediation has the potential to provide a variety of different benefits to divorcing couples which is why its value is worth checking out. Divorcing couples should consider it as an alternative to a litigated divorce and decide if it is right for them.