Mediating Your Divorce Instead of Traditional Litigation

Despite popular belief, there are actually four ways to end a marriage. These four ways are litigation, arbitration, negotiation and mediation. (McKnight & Erickson, 1999, p. 9) Divorce mediation is becoming an increasingly popular method of dealing with the divorce proceedings. There are many positive aspects which make divorce mediation affordable and less stressful than traditional litigation. Divorce mediation offers the opportunity for parties to settle their differences while dividing the assets and maintaining control over the divorce process. Divorce mediation is a growing field which is continually expanding and should be utilized to guide couples to find a way to deal with one another in a mature manner, especially when children are involved.
In my paper I will discuss the history and developments of divorce mediation. I will also asses the effectiveness of divorce mediation and the current issues related to divorce mediation. I will also discuss the importance of a neutral mediator in the divorce process. Lastly, I will give suggestions for improvements which could be made in the field of divorce mediation.

The History of Mediation

Mediation is thought to have begun in the ancient times before the birth of Jesus Christ. (MediationADR.net) However, this ancient method of conflict resolution still continues to this day in many new formats. Mediation was developed as a way to solve the increasing number of conflicts as populations grew. Mediation was, and is still used in religious and non religious settings such as churches, "kinship circles", villages, and the religious group the Quakers. (Mediation.ADR.net)