In some cases, a divorce can drag on for months, which can cause much emotional and psychological pain to a family, not to mention high financial costs. This usually happens when the parties are not very willing to negotiate because of the bitterness and anger that the parties feel towards each other. This also happens because there are cases during which the adversarial nature of legal proceedings that characterize the justice system hinders the parties from coming together for a settlement.

However, in cases wherein parties are willing to negotiate, the parties to a divorce need not suffer a long and painful process of settling a divorce in court, as there is a less painful and less expensive alternative to court proceedings. This alternative is Divorce Mediation, which is a more civil and less emotionally grueling process of reaching a divorce settlement.

What is mediation?

Using the mediation option in a divorce means that the parties would undergo a legal process wherein a trained, impartial third party would offer his services in the form of advice and assistance, which are all aimed at helping a couple reach an agreement. In this process, the parties still need the help of their respective lawyers so that they can be informed on the specific procedures and the consequences of reaching an agreement through mediation. The mediation process is not adversarial in nature, which can mean that if the mediation is successful, the stresses and the costs that are involved in the legal battles of divorce in the courts can be avoided by the couple.

In addition, studies have also shown that couples who go through the more friendly and civil process of mediation come out of the process more satisfied with the agreements (Separation Agreement) that have been reached. Lastly, this process has also been proven to be effective in minimizing the trauma that the children go through when their parents decide to part ways.

Going through a divorce need not be more painful than it has to be; neither does it have to be expensive. This is because there is an alternative process that couples can go through, which has been proven to be a more civil, less painful, and a more practical option of reaching a divorce settlement, which is mediation.