Family Mediation: An Alternative To Court Battles
Posted by Evan Bassett on Tue, Sep 18, 2012
Family Mediation in St. Petersburg involves several areas of family life and it's important to find a good mediator when trying to resolve conflict. There are some key advantages to this particular type of alternative dispute resolution, and we will go over the biggest here.
Focuses on Future vs. Past
First of all, family mediation, in St. Petersburg and anywhere, is a progressive solution - it is focused on the future rather than the past, and pays special attention to all parties - man, woman and child. In many disputes or legal affairs that reach the court, families can get divided as each parent and their attorney try to win the court's judgment based on their own interests - i.e. the resolution that suits one individual above the other. With family mediation, a quality mediator will work with all sides in order to come up with a resolution that will work out best for everyone - especially the child.
Child Focused
This brings up another important aspect of family mediation in St. Petersburg - it is child focused. When you enter into a court of law and fight your case in front of a judge, each lawyer focuses the case with bias, zooming in closely on their client's wishes and argues for what they believe is most advantageous for that particular parent. In mediation, it is much different - a mediator looks at the whole picture, and focuses in closely on the child and what will be best for the children of a family.
Divorce
Family mediation in St. Petersburg can also assist in divorce proceedings and make that process much more effective than going through the traditional proceedings of a court. Divorce is a very hard thing - emotions typically run high, many times there are children involved and the stress of divorce through a court of law with a judge can make things all the more difficult. Opting for family mediation is a very good way to decrease the stress of a divorce for a number of reasons:
- Family mediation works around your schedule rather than interrupting your day or career.
- Family mediation is much less expensive than divorce court.
- Family mediation is grounded in conversation, cooperation and compromise rather than debate, competition and the winner/loser dynamic.
- Family mediation is much faster than divorce court, requiring less of your time and energy to work out an effective divorce arrangement.
- Family mediation is more casual and leaves more opportunity for each party to express themselves in a productive manner. Rather than having a lawyer speak legal jargon in front of a judge, a mediator will act as a liaison throughout the entire process of the divorce so that both parties are able to work through constructive conversations.
Custody
Family mediation is also a very effective way to work out custody disputes in St. Petersburg. When couples can't work out their differences, the child is often the one who suffers most. Going through lengthy custody battles in court rooms can be damaging to a child's self image, their image of father or mother, and their mental well being. Many children require years of therapy to work through this trauma, and family mediation is a much softer, more gentle way of resolving custody disputes.
For more information or to find a qualified family mediator in St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas, give us a call today.
