Psychological and legal services cross paths in a number of arenas. Divorce Mediation and Parent Coordination are two such venues. In each, separating or divorced couples seek to negotiate decisions and settlements that inform the life of the separated family system. With a solid grasp of the developmental needs of children and adolescents, expertise in family dynamics and interaction, and a firm grounding in the law, our clinicians and attorneys serve as neutral third parties in providing such services to families with attention to the best interest of all members of the family.
Divorce Mediation
The divorce process is often filled with uncertainty and disagreement. Divorce mediation has become increasingly popular for individuals who wish to negotiate and navigate the divorce process with the assistance of an impartial mediator trained to help the parties come to a mutually agreeable settlement while avoiding the adversarial, costly, time-consuming, and stress-ridden court process. Mediated settlements have consistently shown higher compliance rates than legally arbitrated settlements, as a function of the parties’ involvement in negotiating their own agreement.
At Diagnostics, mental health and legal professionals trained in divorce mediation work with couples in negotiation of divorce settlements. Our mediators pay close attention to helping couples negotiate custodial and visitation arrangements in the best interest of their children. Division of assets and financial arrangements are negotiated as well during the mediation process and a Marital Settlement Agreement is composed.
Mediated divorces have been shown to be significantly less costly than typical divorces, which can run anywhere from twice to ten times as much, in addition to being far more emotionally stressful. Parties engaged in the mediation process are encouraged to retain attorneys to review the settlement agreement before it is completed.
Parent Coordination
Parent Coordination is a child-focused conflict resolution process involving a neutral third party professional subsequent to the execution of a divorce settlement agreement. The ultimate goal of parent coordination is to help parents resolve disputed issues amicably and efficiently on their own, without having to involve the Parent Coordinator or the adversarial process.
Parent coordination is being increasingly utilized to help high-conflict families reduce disagreements and litigation so that they do not adversely impact family stability and the well-being of their children. At Diagnostics, our clinicians assume the role of parent coordinator to assist in dispute resolution. By developing more functional parenting relationships, parent coordinators help families develop the competence to resolve their conflicts in a constructive manner. This is accomplished through parent education, dispute assessment, mediation, conflict and communication management, and arbitration when necessary.