WHAT IS MEDIATION?

 I N G R I D  S L E Z A K  F A M I L Y   M E D I A T I O N   S E R V I C E S

The major problem with divorce is that someone
has to lose in order for someone else to win.

No one likes divorce. Nonetheless, that's how more than one million
American marriages end each year. And as the number of divorces increases,
so does frustration with the process. Studies show more than 50 percent
of divorcees feel that the legal system itself damaged their relationship
with their ex-spouse.

It doesn't have to be that way!

Mediation is the civil and sensible alternative to a courtroom battle. In divorce
mediation, a skilled, neutral mediator works with you and your spouse, using a
step-by-step approach, to gather information, balance communication, generate
options, and—once all parties have had their say—negotiate a mutually agreeable settlement. Divorce mediation takes the parties out of combat and redirects their energy toward resolving the issues so they can get on with their lives as quickly and easily as possible.

Virtually all family matters can be mediated successfully. Divorcing couples across the United States are discovering that mediation creates better outcomes than litigation—especially if child custody and co-parenting issues are involved. In fact, studies have shown that litigants in an adversarial divorce are three times more likely to return to court than participants in a mediated divorce.