The word “divorce”, and even “divorce mediation” evokes images of spouses in conflict with each other.  The reality is that divorce is a family affair. It sets off a chain of events not merely the in lives of the couple – and by extension their children – but across the entire family system.   

Parents, children, siblings, grandparents, new partners or stepparents and friends – the entire web of relationships is affected.  Aspects of a family’s residence,employment, finances, legal affairs, religion and culture, rules and discipline… all these elements of family life are thrown into motion as one household divides into two.  No divorce agreement, no matter how well conceived, can anticipate precisely where all the parts and pieces will settle.

The purpose of Post-Divorce Mediation, then, is to reconcile the static formalities of the original agreement with the dynamic realities of life.  For instance:

• A parent has changed jobs, requiring a reworking of the schedule.
• An employer requires one parent to move.
• A quiet, conventional 10 year old becomes a wild and rebellious teen.
• A sixteen-year-old boy says he no longer wants to live with his mom.
• A mother disagrees with the lifestyle choices of the father.
• A father disagrees with the relationship choices of the mother.
• The income of one or both parents changes dramatically.

There are, of course, hundreds of variations and permutations of these themes.  Post-Divorce Mediation offers a controlled and inexpensive alternative to litigation, and a chance to create solutions to these difficult situations that benefit the entire family.