A divorce is a legal process that ends a marriage. Because it requires the division of property, the assignment of parental rights and responsibilities, and the identification of financial duties, it can cause differences of preference and opinion between its participants to be highlighted. While individuals who want to get divorced in Massachusetts can go through the courts to end their marriages, they can also work with divorce mediators to find more peaceful resolutions to their divorce proceedings.
Some individuals choose mediation over litigation to dissolve their marriages because they have more control of their divorce outcomes through mediation. In mediation, the parties to a divorce work directly with a mediator who helps them find understanding in their differences. Rather than being told what will happen to them, their property, and their children, parties to mediated divorces make their own decisions about what will occur.
The ability to take control of their divorces allows many who use the process to find greater peace in their divorce proceedings and even their post-divorce lives. Divorcing couples who come together in mediation to decide how to co-parent may be more likely to stick to their plans if they each had a hand in negotiating the agreement’s terms.
Mediation is not for everyone and not every divorce will be able to be resolved through the mediation process. However, couples that are interested in mediation may wish to explore it before they choose to enter the courts to end their marriages. Divorce mediators have special knowledge on how to serve the needs of those who come to them with plans to divorce, and therefore individuals should research local mediators to find one who will meet their needs.
