Mediation

Mediation is a cooperative process for resolving conflict with the assistance of a trained court-appointed, neutral third party, whose role is to facilitate communication, to help define issues, and to assist the parties in identifying and negotiating fair solutions that are mutually agreeable.

The goals of mediation are to help parents communicate and focus their communication on developing a plan for meeting their children’s needs. Better communication leads to better agreements. Mediation provides a way for parents to work on these agreements together with a neutral third party. This person is called a mediator.

Mediators may be lawyers or mental health professionals who are specially trained to help parents communicate clearly, focus on the issues which need to be agreed upon for the future rather than focusing on issues from the past. Mediators help develop parenting plans that are reasonable and acceptable to everyone involved. Mediators do not make decisions for the family. Mediators do not offer legal advice or provide therapy. Instead, they help parents make decisions that are truly in the best interests of the children and that both parents agree to. You cannot be pressured or compelled to agree to anything discussed in mediation