A contested divorce is a type of divorce where one or both spouses disagree on the terms of the divorce, such as child custody, property division, or alimony. This disagreement can lead to the need for legal proceedings to resolve the disputes. In a contested divorce, one or both spouses may engage in negative behaviors such as refusing to disclose financial information, bullying, or using legal proceedings to force contact or financially burden the other spouse.
These actions can prolong the process and increase the emotional and financial stress on all parties involved.For this purpose, mediation is a better option as it can help to resolve conflicts and reach agreements in a more peaceful and efficient manner, minimizing the emotional and financial impact on both partners. It's important to seek guidance from professionals that provide mediation services when dealing with a contested divorce.
Steps On How You Minimize A Divorce
Following are the steps that can be taken to decrease the conflict and minimize the risk of divorce.
- Seek Professional Help
Divorce mediation, counselling, and therapy can be beneficial in helping couples communicate effectively and reach a mutual agreement on difficult issues.
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Focus On The Children
Children are often the innocent victims in high-conflict divorces, so it's important to keep their best interests in mind. A child's parenting time should be the top priority of parents.
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Keep Emotions In Check:
It's important to keep emotions in check and avoid making impulsive decisions, which can only further make the conflict worse.
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Prioritize Your Needs:
One should prioritize their partner's needs so that conflict can settle in compromise and issues can be resolved
By following the above-mentioned steps, you can decrease the possibility of consented divorce and agree on a mutual agreement.
High-Conflict Divorce Survival Techniques
Following are the strategies that can be taken into consideration for avoiding unconsented divorce and settling matters outside the court using mediation services.
1. Keep Your High-Conflict Divorce Story To Yourself
Publicizing your high-conflict divorce story can be damaging to your emotional well-being and the well-being of your children as well. It can create more conflict and drama in an already stressful situation.
Additionally, sharing details about your divorce with others can cause emotional distress for your children, who may feel embarrassed or ashamed about the ongoing divorce situation. It can also create a sense of betrayal in them if they hear negative things about the other parent from you or others.
2. Don't Criticize Your Spouse In Front Of Your Kids.
Criticizing your spouse to your children during divorce mediation can have a negative impact on children emotional well-being and can create loyalty issues for them. Children need to have a positive relationship with both parents, and speaking negatively about one parent can damage that relationship. Avoid bad-mouthing, insulting, or speaking negatively about your spouse, and try to keep the conversation focused on the children's needs, well-being and safety.
It's important to remember that children are not ready to handle adult problems and should not be burdened with the negative details of a divorce. They need stability, love, and support from both parents.
3. Keep Communication Neutral In Divorce Mediation
Keeping communications neutral during divorce mediation is important for several reasons:
- It helps to maintain a calm and respectful environment during the process.
- Neutral communication allows the mediator to better understand each person's perspective and concerns, which can lead to more effective problem-solving.
- Neutral language can help prevent one party from feeling attacked or misunderstood.
- It can help to avoid the possibility of legal issues if the communication is recorded.
- Neutral communication can help maintain a positive relationship between both parties post-divorce, particularly if there are children involved.
4. Stop Blaming And Start Solving Problems
Shifting from blaming to problem-solving during divorce mediation can help create a more productive and positive outcome for both parties.
Blaming only focuses on highlighting other partner mistakes and making them responsible for everything, which can create negative emotions and increase the conflict. Problem-solving, on the other hand, focuses on finding solutions to the issues at hand and moving forward in a positive and constructive way.
During the mediation process, it's important to acknowledge each person's perspective and concerns and to work together to find solutions that are fair and mutually beneficial. This can help to reduce negative emotions and create a more positive and productive environment.
Conclusion
In high-conflict cases mediation can be considered an effective and efficient way of resolving issues and reach to mutual agreement rather then going to the court. Divorce mediation allows both parties to express their concerns and perspectives in a safe and neutral environment, and to work together with the help of a trained mediator to find solutions. The process is also often less expensive and time-consuming than going through the court system.
Mediation also allows for more flexibility in terms of finding solutions that may not be possible in a court setting. Additionally, Mediation can help to reduce the emotional stress of the divorce and minimize the negative impact on children.
It's important to remember that not all cases are suitable for mediation and there are some cases where court involvement may be necessary. We treat our clients with dignity and work cooperatively to find a solution to their issues.
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