Children First Mediation
If you and your spouse have children and have made the difficult decision to divorce, it is critically important to keep the needs of your children at the heart of every decision you make. You may feel extreme anger, sadness, frustration, disappointment about the loss of your marriage, but none of this is your children’s fault. It is unfortunately very easy to let those intense emotions impact your kids. Child first mediation is a highly effective tool that can empower you and your ex to come up with ways to settle your divorce without furthering the conflict and adversarial nature of your relationship.
When you make the difficult decision to divorce, it is a given that your family will undergo a significant change. Each member of your family may respond to this change differently, depending on their age, their personality and their emotional maturity. The best way to move forward is to navigate your divorce with cooperation and compromise in mind. A traditional divorce settled in the court system can increase the overall conflict between you and your spouse, while using mediation can lessen the overall conflict and lay a foundation for a positive relationship once your divorce is final.
For most people the process of getting divorced is physically and emotionally draining. The financial costs associated with a typical divorce compound the stress and anxiety even more. Parents in particular can be left feeling exhausted and confused about which way to turn for help. The court system views the dissolution of marriage to be a legal issue but it is so much more than that. Unfortunately, the emotional, financial and physical aspects of raising a child can be left unresolved without proper support from a professional mediator
Divorce is generally regarded as one of the most stressful life events, in a category with a death of a spouse or close family member, an unexpected job loss or a sudden illness. Divorce is a major personal loss – the loss of your marriage can cause many intense emotions of grief, sadness, anger and despair. Finding sources of support during and after your divorce is critical to your healing and ability to move forward. Friends, co-workers, loved ones can provide significant personal support. There are also times when professional help is needed. A professional divorce support counselor can relate to an individual going through a divorce in a helpful and supportive way
Any Minnesota divorce mediator whose services you seek should be well versed in Minnesota divorce. This should be the baseline for anyone looking for help navigating the divorce process. Once the minimum requirements are satisfied, you can begin to look for other qualities that meet your needs. In some cases, it can be helpful to work with a male divorce mediator. In the South Metro area, Jeff Johnson is a male divorce mediator who understands the complexities of Minnesota divorce, has extensive experience with a wide range of circumstances pertaining to divorce, and can lend his perspective
The divorce process can be extremely overwhelming as you simultaneously work to separate the many aspects of your life that have been intertwined for years while also trying to move forward emotionally. Litigation is one way to settle the terms of your divorce but can be extremely costly, both financially and emotionally and actually adds to existing conflict. Divorce mediation is an effective tool that can be used instead of litigation to settle your divorce that can save you time, money and allow you to move past your divorce more quickly
Communication is often cited as one of the main causes of divorce. So, it makes sense that communication problems continue for divorced couples with children well after the divorce papers are signed. Co-parenting after divorce is a new phase of a relationship but it is common for some of the same patterns from the marriage
If you have been divorced for any length of time, you likely know that questions, concerns and problems can come up between you and your ex-spouse related to your children at anytime. The fact is that you cannot predict the future when you sign your divorce papers. You make the best decisions you can with the information that you have at the time about your new living situation, based on current circumstances and your children’s best interest at the time.
It is often said that parenting is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs that anybody can have. Children do not come with a manual. If they did, there may be a thick chapter devoted to parenting after divorce. Spouses are often at their worst during the divorce process and may be unable to see how the upheaval, stress and tension is affecting the children. Parenting consulting is used to make sure that the best interest of the child is forefront in decisions. A parenting consultant may be chosen by the parents and appointed by the court.
Not all marriage vows end in happily ever after. The reality is that many marriages end in divorce. The way in which a couple decides to proceed through the divorce process can have a lasting impact on the family, including the children. Litigating dissolution of marriage inside of a courtroom is not the only option. Divorce mediation can lessen the discourse, cost and time it takes to reach a final resolution. Most Minnesota judges encourage couples to consider mediation as an alternative dispute resolution process. This allows individuals to take charge of their own divorce process and…
