A divorce mediator in Colorado can be a tremendous asset during a trying time. However, meeting for mediation does not mean that the process can be taken lightly. The participants are making decisions that can affect their lives and those of their children for years to come. Before meeting with a divorce mediator in Colorado, participants can prepare legally and psychologically by doing the following:
Create Ground Rules
There will be time for divorcing parties before they meet with a mediator. They may have to some interaction with each other because they are still living in the same residence or because they have children. These exchanges should be cordial and respectful. This type of behavior will be expected and is necessary at mediation, so the parties should make all strides to develop this rapport with each other during this phase.
Create a Checklist
Make a checklist of all of the issues that you need to discuss. Ideally, the parties will be able to settle their entire case, so they must be prepared to talk out every issue between them, including how to divide important assets like equity in a home and retirement accounts, how to share parenting time, whether spousal support will be provided, the amount of child support and myriad issues that are specific to the participants’ case.
Deal with Emotions Outside of Mediation
While a skilled mediator can effectively deal with tough emotions like anger, grief, and frustration during mediation, you can also take proactive steps to handle these difficult emotions through counseling or other effective methods. This allows you to objectively evaluate divorce settlements so that you make decisions based on reason rather than emotion.
Choose the Right Decision Maker
Carefully evaluate the mediator and his or her ability to effectively help the parties resolve their issues.