Divorce Mediation: The Healthy Way to Break Up
According to the Holmes and Rahe stress scale, divorce is the second most stressful life event a person can experience, surpassed only by the death of a spouse. The legal system, with its adversarial nature, doesn’t do much to mitigate the feelings of anxiety and depression that many people feel when their marriage ends. Thankfully, there is a healthier path to divorce. Mediation, run by an experienced, professional family law mediator, can be extremely productive in helping most couples resolve essential issues without animosity.
Divorce mediation is specifically designed to help minimize the potential for distress by giving the spouses a way to discuss their differences, state their objectives and get assistance from a neutral third party in forging a fair marital settlement. The idea is to reach an outcome that both you and your spouse are invested in, that is manageable for your lifestyle and that promotes the best interests of your children.
Emotional health of spouses and their children can take a serious blow during divorce litigation. But mediation eases the stress by encouraging spouses to listen to each other and to communicate openly. Many spouses discover that keeping things out of court leads to a greater sense of control over the process. That ultimately leads to better, longer-lasting solutions, even difficult issues like child custody and spousal support.
In court, no matter how talented your divorce attorney may be, your family’s future lies in the hands of a judge. That uncertainty can lead to undue amounts of stress. Compare that with mediation, where you and your spouse can take your time, talk to each other and get help creating a workable solution between yourselves. With control of your own future, your overall health and wellbeing is fostered more than it would be in litigation.
Finally, financial health comes in to play. It’s not unusual for total mediation costs to be less than a few thousand dollars, sometimes even just a few hundred. That pales in comparison to the potential costs of divorce litigation, which are unpredictable and may be in the tens of thousands of dollars if you have a complex situation involving children and property.
At Solutions Divorce Mediation, Inc., we are a unique team of family law mediators and lawyers who assist clients in Suffolk and Nassau counties with reaching peaceful ends to their marriages. If you would like to discuss your situation with an experienced Long Island divorce mediator, please call 1.631.683.8172 or contact us online. Your initial consultation is free and we are available seven days a week.