Divorce (Marital Dissolution)

Mediation minimizes the hostility and misunderstandings that couples experience when ending a marriage or other committed relationship. When there are minor or dependent children, divorce mediation can help build a foundation for a healthy co-parenting relationship.

Divorce mediation also gives separating couples a sense of control at a time when they are feeling great anxiety and disorientation. It diffuses their fears by creating a non-threatening structure for making important decisions about their future separate lives.

The initial mediation sessions for divorce or relationship dissolution provide an opportunity for couples to address short-term issues that, left unresolved, merely add to their stress.  Deciding how their will share responsibility common space, arrange parenting schedules, manage finances, and transition to separate households gives them a deeper sense of security so that they can focus on the larger and more final tasks that will enable a smooth uncoupling.

In a series of two-hour mediation sessions, divorcing and separating couples are guided through conversations and assignments about:

  1. Post-divorce or post-separation living expenses;
  2. Disposition of the family residence;
  3. Dividing community assets;
  4. Allocating responsibility for community debts; and
  5. Determining spousal maintenance.

If there are minor children from the relationship, the parents will need to:

  1. Establish the amount of child support; and
  2. Create a parenting plan.