If you and your spouse have recently decided to end your marriage, you may be dreading the prospect of appearing in Illinois divorce court. Fortunately, you have more than one option when it comes to settling the terms of your divorce. The American Psychological Association suggests mediation as an alternative to courtroom proceedings. We at Essig Law Office have been practicing family law since 1972 and find that mediation offers benefits for all involved parties.
A healthy divorce is one that proceeds as smoothly as possible. Minimizing conflict is essential to a healthy divorce, especially when there are children involved. While most children recover from the short-term trauma of the experience within two years of the divorce, social and psychological problems may result from ongoing parental discord.
Though it may sound counterintuitive, you and your spouse need to cooperate with one another in order to divorce in a healthy manner. Mediation helps to facilitate this cooperation by providing a safe venue in which you and your spouse can communicate and reach fair agreements as to custody arrangements, property division, etc.
Negative feelings, including grief, anxiety or anger, are normal when undergoing a divorce and often rise up when least expected. Resolving your divorce in a non-confrontational manner through mediation can lead to greater emotional satisfaction than a courtroom battle would provide. Before meeting with your soon-to-be ex, write down a list of all the things you want to discuss and bring it to the meeting to read from. Preparing a written list beforehand can help you to remember specific details and take some of the emotional charge out of the proceedings.
Apart from the emotional benefits, mediation is less expensive than a divorce court proceeding would be. More information about divorce and mediation is available on our website.
