When you are going through a divorce, it can be hard to get on the same page with your spouse. You may both have hurt feelings or come to the table with different approaches to ending your marriage.
Divorce mediation is helpful, because it reduces the likelihood of conflicts dragging out your divorce. Mediating also helps you come up with an outcome that is more acceptable to all parties, so you can feel comfortable if you have to continue co-parenting together or working together in the future.
According to the American Bar Association, parents who are able to listen, understand and respond to each other respectfully had a better chance of being able to resolve current conflicts and those that occurred in the future. Mediation focuses on this idea of listening to each other, understanding what has been said and responding with respectfulness.
Mediation helps you avoid damaging behavior
Mediation is helpful in avoiding litigation and may help reduce the time it takes to divorce, but it’s also important for helping people avoid damaging behaviors. With mediation, you have a set time to discuss items of conflict. You can handle those disputes privately with a mediator to guide you.
This reduces the likelihood of conflicts spilling over into your daily life when your child may be present or when you need to be focusing on other responsibilities.
Mediation is preferred by many people including couples going through divorce, attorneys, judges and others. Why? It helps reduce conflict and find resolutions to problems. By working together to get an outcome that both parties can agree on, it’s possible to avoid the trauma of going to court and to reduce the likelihood of conflicts occurring again in the future.
You need to reduce conflict to build a better relationship
If you’re a parent, going through mediation may help you learn how to handle disagreements and to consciously uncouple, so you and your ex can work together for the best interests of your children in the future. Mediation may lay the groundwork for this healthy relationship to flourish, so it’s something that you may want to try.