Divorce mediation is a useful tool for some California couples who cannot agree on matters related to ending their marriages. While some couples are able to complete their divorces without assistance beyond their attorneys, others require additional support during the difficult process of severing legal relationships. In some cases, that support is even necessary when the couples’ disagreements persist after their divorce decrees are filed.
An American politician and his ex-wife were recently ordered to work with a divorce mediator due to their inability to work out details related to their shared children. House of Representatives member Mark Sanford and his ex-wife have not been able to agree on how to equalize the trust funds of their sons. Due to their struggles to settle matters on their own a judge has required the pair to utilize the assistance of a neutral mediator.
The emotional stress of going through and living after a divorce can cause otherwise reasonable people to struggle with important decisions. Those struggles can be exacerbated when a former spouse must be involved in the decision-making process. Though divorce mediators are not emotional counselors, they can provide objective analyses on a former couple’s situation and help the former partners find common ground to work out their differences.
It has been around four years since Sanford and his wife divorced but they are still working through details related to their lives as married people. Not all marriages end quickly and some lingering issues may persist long after a legal marriage is fully terminated. In cases where former partners cannot get past their differences, divorce mediators can provide useful assistance in bringing about resolution over important shared responsibilities.
Source: ABC News, “Judge Orders Mediation in US Rep. Sanford Divorce,” Bruce Smith, July 14, 2014
