Advantages of Using Divorce Mediation for Families With Children

Mediation is a successful alternative to the win-lose approach in our culture and  adversarial legal system.  In divorce, litigation and courtroom battles often increase feelings of loss or hostility and leave long-lasting negative impact on parents and children. Litigation escalates costs, both emotional and financial. 

Litigants place their children's future in the hands of a judge who knows little about them. Each parent often believes theirs is the right and best position. However, the outcomes are unpredictable and often devastating--sometimes neither parent is satisfied with the judge's ruling. 

Research has shown that the single best predictor of how well children "adjust" to their parents' divorce is how well their parents manage this transition. In our experience, parents who remain focused on their child/ren's well-being, often resolve financial conflicts with greater ease; valuing stability and security in both family homes.

Mediation gives parents a way to resolve their conflicts and supports a healthy transition to co-parenting from separate households. Divorcing couples are choosing to end their spousal relationship. It is important to remember that you will continue to be powerfully connected to each other through your children--for life.

Our promise:   Your children's best interests will be central in your divorce mediation.

Call Us:  541-488-5654 

 Separation & Divorce Mediation

​What you can expect....

At Best Mediation, you and your spouse would sit down in the same room with each other and with the mediators. With the help of the mediators, you would work through all the issues you need to resolve so the two of you can complete your divorce. 
In our experience, working together builds trust and promotes collaboration--essential aspects to a successful mediation that can be compromised with a "shuttle mediation" (working with only one party at a time). Establishing trust and practicing respectful communication supports a positive future co-parenting relationship.

​It is the mediators' job to provide a neutral facilitation between partners. That means we will not give recommendations, advice, or act as a judge in your decisions making process. We will mutually support each of you, to make the best decisions for your family as you navigate your divorce.

​Mediation is a confidential process providing a safe space to negotiate financial settlements and design parenting plans that best meet the needs of both parties.

​Mediators do not give legal advice. An initial consultation with an attorney may be very supportive to the mediation process. Information is power. Understanding what may or may not happen if you chose to litigate your divorce can empower you to make sound decisions. A lawyer may also be helpful in advising you between sessions or in reviewing your final settlement contract. Using an attorney as an adjunct to the mediation process changes their role from adversarial litigator/negotiator to that of legal consultant.

​It is the mediators' job to guide you through all the decisions that are relevant for you both to successfully dissolve your marriage. We surface all the questions and help you resolve all financial and / or parenting aspects of your divorce. This includes asset division, support issues, custody decisions, and parenting plans. 

During your process we will encourage an open and free exchange of information. Full disclosure of all assets is a pre-requisite to the Divorce Mediation process. Because this process is both voluntary and confidential, spouses negotiate openly with one another~articulating concerns and working together to construct a future where each can build a new life.

At Best Mediation the process concludes with the production of a detailed Marital Settlement Agreement, which can be filed at court either through an attorney or through a self-filing process. Filing your document at court creates a legally binding dissolution to your marriage. Once the judge signs your agreement, your divorce becomes finalized.

​People often ask, Does mediation really work? The answer is, YES! Research shows couples who have mediated their divorce are much more likely to be satisfied with the process and the results than couples who go through an adversarial divorce. Mediating couples are also less likely to go back to court and fight about something later. Couples who choose mediation spend significantly less money and time than if they chose the adversarial option of litigating.

​The main advantage of mediation is that you and your spouse are in control of your own divorce. You make the decisions that are best for your family. This can make all the difference in your recovering financially and emotionally and moving on with your life in a positive, hopeful manner. At the least, mediation allows the two of you to get through your divorce with less conflict and cost than you would experience in an adversarial litigated divorce.

We Specialize In:

*  Any Family or Relationship    Conflict/s

* Communication Issues

* Parenting Plans and Custody          Decisions

* Resolving All Financial Issues;    Division of Assets, Debts,      Investment and Retirement    Accounts

* Spousal Support  

* Child Support

* Crafting a Marital Settlement          Agreement

* Provide Options for Court Filings

* Offers Appropriate Referrals for    Legal, Financial, or Emotional          Needs

* Post- Divorce Issues and      Parenting   Plan “Tune-Ups” 

*  Parenting - Teen Mediations

* Non-Marital Domestic            Partnerships

* LGBT Couples