Divorcing in Today's Economy

Gas prices. Layoffs. Debt. All things that are a reality for most families today. Times are tough. The Today Show interviewed a marriage therapist who said that the economy today is forcing some couples to stay together and avoid a divorce as a result. The question is: "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I say, "It depends." Really, only the couple can answer that. For those that are living in misery as a result of this economic reality, I have hope for you: mediation.

Mediation is a legal conflict resolution process that occurs outside of the court. It is a way to divorce without hiring expensive attorneys. The claim of mediation is that it is less costly, both emotionally and financially. In fact, it is estimated that a mediated divorce costs only 10% of what a court divorce costs. That is a 90% discount! This link provides a compelling cost comparison of court & mediation divorces: http://peace-talks.com/comparecosts/. In fact, many mediators charge a third or half what Peace Talks charge, which means there is an even larger cost discrepancy than what the chart shows.

There are numerous other advantages to mediation: it takes less time, it allows control of the outcome, higher compliance with the agreement, less stress on the children and people involved, better communication in the future, and the list goes on and on. While just the cost of mediation make it worthwhile, it is comforting to know that the benefits don't stop there.

Today's economy may be forcing couples to stay together, but for many, it may force them into a mediated divorce, a healthy divorce.