There’s no question that divorces can draw out the worst in people. Conflicts come to the surface and can drag out a divorce for months or years.
For couples who are willing to try to work together, there is a better solution. That solution is to try mediation.
Mediation uses a third-party mediator who listens neutrally to both sides. The mediator isn’t there to make decisions for you, but they will help you collaborate with your spouse to come up with solutions. You may not be sure if this will work for you, but if it could, then you could see a number of benefits.
What are the benefits of choosing to go through mediation?
Some of the main benefits of divorce mediation include:
- Privacy, since everything except for your final divorce decree will take place behind closed doors
- Improved communication, which encourages a collaborative decision-making process
- Reduced costs
- More control over the divorce process
It is important to note that you may not always like what your mediator has to say or agree with their statements. Still, you should feel comfortable with them and understand that your mediator is helping guide you both through difficult conversations. Your mediator is there to give you examples of things that could work, but the final decisions come down to what you and your spouse want.
What should you do to bring up the idea of mediation with your spouse?
The next time you speak to your spouse, ask them if they would like to try to negotiate outside court to keep the situation more private. If they are interested in working together to come up with solutions, then you can suggest mediation and collaborating together to find reasonable solutions to any conflicts that arise during the divorce. They may not yet have considered mediation, so bringing it up should be one of the first things you talk about. Mediation could help save time and money if you both agree to do it.
Mediation isn’t for everyone, and some people may find that their spouses aren’t interested in collaborating or listening to a mediator. If that’s the case, you may want to discuss other options with your attorney, such as negotiating directly with your spouse and their attorney or preparing to go to divorce court.
Your attorney will be able to work with you to help you prepare for any kind of negotiating or trial that has to happen.