More and more today, family law attorneys in Texas and across the United States are turning to divorce mediation when it comes to resolving their clients’ divorce and child custody issues. Though the term may sound contradictory, divorce mediation can help turn a divorce into a “good” divorce where individuals are more focused on collaboration and conciliation than confrontation.
As an alternative to traditional divorce proceedings that can be litigious and adversarial, divorce mediation focuses on drawing the two opposing parties together to create a mutually beneficial plan. The process of divorce mediation takes on a greater awareness of the varying emotions family members are going through and many lawyers who represent clients in divorce mediation say the process is more fruitful than destructive.
Much of the process of divorce mediation is for the benefit of children of divorcing families. Research shows that the way a family divorces plays an important role in the way children adjust to their new family setting. Children of divorced parents have to adjust to two new settings and the way parents handle the new situations can greatly reduce the stress children feel. One family therapist and retired professor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst believes the viewpoint of children should be included even more so in divorce and divorce mediation proceedings.
On the whole, divorce mediation tends to work better for individuals who are able to communicate and in the end most former partners do not want to put themselves or their children through a terrible split.
Source: Gazettenet.com, “Courts, lawyers help couples navigate through ‘good’ divorce,” Chad Cain, Aug. 2, 2011