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Chose Your Future!

author
By
Debra Synovec
author
Nancy Hudgins
February 3, 2009

From the Real Divorce Mediation Blog of Nancy Hudgins and Debra Synovec

Do you want to control your future or leave it to chance?

Saving money is the catalyst for many divorcing clients to seek out mediation, but once clients actually begin mediating most discover saving money is not the main benefit, albeit it is a significant one.

A cornerstone of mediation and a main benefit divorcing clients discover is their opportunity to have self-determination in making choices affecting their future …..they control the process and the outcome which gives them satisfaction. Self-determination occurs primarily because mediation is client centered and transparent, offering clients the opportunity to shape their solutions and, therefore, their future.

First, divorce mediation offers the flexibility needed to be a client centered process. The clients’ particular needs and shared goals determine how divorce mediation is conducted. In other words, “the process adapts to client need, rather than unilaterally requiring that the clients adapt to the process.” The Client-Centered Process: Common Ground for Mediators And Collaborative Professionals, by Chip Rose.

The clients do not do this alone, they do it with a skilled mediator who helps them design a process that increases their ability to meet their needs and reach their goals. The divorce mediator helps keep them on target, using intervention techniques to guard the process.

Second, unlike other available processes, divorce mediation is transparent in the sense that the couple is aware of the activities of the mediator and any other professionals that are involved in the process. For example, if a mediator is communicating with the clients’ attorneys, the clients can be fully aware of the conversation and the substance of the conversation.
It is your life and your future. Do you want control?

                        author

Debra Synovec

Debra Synovec, a Seattle-based mediator and lawyer, has mediated divorces for 20 years. She believes in empowering the parties to reach their own resolution. MORE >

                        author

Nancy Hudgins

Nancy Hudgins, a San Francisco mediator and lawyer, began specializing in civil litigation in the 1970's. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants, chiefly in personal injury, medical malpractice, elder abuse and product liability lawsuits, but also in a wide variety of complex litigation, including civil rights, fraud and class… MORE >

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