Are you caught on a wheel to nowhere?
We’ve all been there: those conversations that go ‘round and ‘round and never resolve the problem. Separation and divorce are major life events that carry permanent emotional, practical and financial consequences. Without help, the particulars can become a painful never-ending wheel of conflict.

The adversarial legal process, focused on assigning blame about past events, deepens the wound and exhausts financial resources. A busy, detached court will eventually impose a decision about the immediate situation that everyone will have to live with. This process carries a high emotional and financial cost. Without resolving the underlying conflict, resentment, frustration and anger will continue to fester and undermine future interactions about parenting and finances, with each party looking for revenge or to continue to prove their point.

Trained mediators at Candlewood Mediation Center, LLC, help couples resolve the issues that carry powerful negative emotions and life-long consequences respectfully, thoroughly and effectively. This experienced psychologist-lawyer/social worker team turns unproductive arguments into meaningful conversations that result in a complete, long-lasting agreement which will be accepted by the court in your divorce action. By addressing the underlying conflict, setting ground rules for the transition though divorce, and planning for financial change, each party is able to move forward independently in a healthy way.

Why Co-Mediation?
Co-mediation provides a divorcing couple with the opportunity to work jointly with two mediation professionals: a family lawyer and a clinical psychologist. Each mediator brings a special expertise to the process. The attorney guides the couple through the legal process of divorce and helps them navigate the various financial and practical issues they face. The psychologist’s insights into family dynamics help overcome emotional and communication obstacles and provide information about the effect a couple’s decisions, especially parenting arrangements, will have on their children.

Lower Cost, Better Value
A co-mediated divorce is often the least costly and most efficient route through the divorce process. Complex legal and emotional realities can easily overwhelm a divorcing couple. The fear and anger generated by the adversarial process work against a cost-effective, permanent resolution while depleting valuable financial resources and damaging family relationships.

Helping clients communicate effectively, while keeping powerful emotions in check, this lawyer/psychologist team guides the couple more quickly toward an enduring and informed settlement. Settlements reached through co-mediation focus on creating and continuing a healthy environment for the children, enhancing their ability to become healthy adults. By working together couples find creative breakthrough solutions leading toward a healthy future.

Parties who negotiate agreements in mediation are more likely to live up to their agreements and avoid post-divorce problems and litigation than couples who have decisions made for them by the court or lawyers.

Your divorce does not have to be a disaster. Tom and Katherine will help you keep your priorities straight.