New clients ask me all the time – What is exactly is your role as our divorce mediator?
There are many answers to this question because as a divorce mediator I wear many hats in my goal to help you both work through the difficult process of getting a divorce and I try to make this as easy as possible and I accomplish that in numerous ways. Over the next few blogs I will go through many of the techniques and processes I use to help my clients end with a divorce agreement they can be satisfied and live with, while avoiding a long and expensive legal battle through the court system.
The first way I help clients is by being the neutral person in the middle of your divorce. In that role, it is my job to help each of you work through what are the things you want and need in order to move forward after the divorce is final. I am able to accomplish this by speaking to the two of you and help my clients drill down into what is really important for each of them, how do those decisions and ideas affect them and their families going forward and how can we come to a mutual benefit agreement on those areas when many times there are conflicting opinions, wants and needs for each of the divorcing parties.
By using specifically created divorce worksheets, gathering information from each client, and talking through what is behind each client’s “list” of wants and needs, I can help create a guidebook and road map on how to get really close to having both clients satisfied with the outcome of the divorce and giving them each an opportunity to safely express what’s important to them. More importantly, when there is conflict between the two divorcing spouses on these issues or when they both want the same things but the discussion point, want or need cannot be shared by both of them (for example, the marital home) – my goal is to help clients come to a mutually agreeable solution that is in both of their best interests. Many times in order to do that effectively as a divorce mediator and with the client’s permission, I offer suggestions and ideas based on what I have seen other clients do in similar circumstances over the past 20 years.
This first step is one in many that I use to help my clients swiftly and cost-effectively get through their divorce. Please keep following this blog to learn even more about divorce mediation and how it can work for you.
