The Steps of Mediation
The basic steps of mediation are:
• Consultation Meeting
• Individual Meeting
• Parenting Plan Meeting
• Property Division Meeting
• Financial Division Meeting
Both you and your spouse attend the consultation meeting. This is basically an information sharing session whereby I explain the mediation process as it applies to your unique situation and gather information about you and your spouse. This meeting is about an hour long.
The next step is your individual meeting. During your individual meeting we will discuss any specific issues you are worried about or feel are of utmost importance to you, the issues you believe will be most difficult for you and your separating spouse to agree on. We will also talk a little about how the marriage eroded and how each spouse is dealing with the separation.
If you have children, we will discuss how you envision co-parenting after the separation. This meeting is about an hour to an hour and half long.
If you have children then our first mediated session will focus on the creation of the parenting plan. Please see the section on the Benefits of a Parenting Plan to understand the reason this section takes place first and why it is so important.
Generally after the parenting plan has been completed the following two sessions will focus on property division and financial allocations. In its simplest form the mediation process will be about 4-5 sessions. The individual and consultation meetings are about an hour long and mediation meetings are usually about 3 hours long. However, if your issues are complicated or if you and your spouse are having difficulty agreeing then this process could require longer.
More information on the advantages of mediation can be found in the Benefits of Mediation section