The way in which relationships are renegotiated in the aftermath of divorce is critical to the future well-being of family members. When estranged parents are able to redefine boundaries in their own relationship, it allows their children to maintain a healthy relationship with both, and paves the way for a more intact and functional family system. Toward this end, the author presents a state-of-the-art overview of divorce, child custody, and mediation within the context of the latest psychological research and contemporary divorce law. Providing specific techniques and detailed case histories, he outlines an approach for estranged couples to renegotiate their relationship, defining new boundaries of intimacy and power between the various members of the family. The book illustrates how mediation can keep a large percentage of families out of court, increase parents' satisfaction with the process, encourage the involvement of both parents with the children, and break out of the "win-lose" mentality of the law and negotiate "win-win" settlements instead.Renegotiating Family Relationships opens with an examination of how gender bears on the attitudes both parents and children maintain toward divorce. It describes specific steps for separating marital and parental roles, as well as for dealing with cycles of love, anger, and sadness that characterize grief in divorce. The role of children in a divorced family system is explored, and strategies are provided for setting up visitation schedules, disciplinary tactics, joint physical custody, and other parenting arrangements. Ways to balance loyalties and alliances in the parent-child-parent triad are also discussed.Divorce and custody law and the implications they have for mediation are examined, with sections discussing such issues as financial settlements, property division, alimony, child support, taxes, remarriage, and post-divorce economics for single mothers. Theories of custody dispute resolution and tactics for bargaining and settling disputes are also presented, as are methods for negotiating agreements, including ways to determine settlement policies, and conduct mediation sessions with parents.Offering strategies for working with attorneys and judges, the book describes how to define problems; set up caucuses; focus on issues instead of emotions; and review areas of agreement and disagreement. Later chapters focus on custody mediation research and psychological research on children, parents, and divorce with an examination of precedent-setting mediation cases, issues of compliance, demographics of divorce, and how both children and parents adjust to the divorce process in light of changes in the family structure. Finally, the future of custody mediation is also discussed.Comprehensive in scope, this volume will interest a wide range of mental health professionals--psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and family counselors. It will inform legal professionals working with couples trying to renegotiate their relationship. It also serves as a text for graduate courses or advanced undergraduate courses related to either mental health or the law.

Product Description: Forrest S. Mosten Collaborative Divorce Handbook Helping families without going to court Praise for Collaborative Divorce Handbook "There are many roads to peace. Whether you engage in collaborative practice, which by definition includes the provision that professionals will not represent the parties in litigation, or some other process for respectful conflict resolution, you will find Collaborative Divorce Handbook to be an invaluable resource for deepening your understanding and enhancing your skills as a peacemaker...read more

Product Description: Professional advice on how to end your marriage with less pain and expense Mediation is an increasingly popular method for ending a marriage because it is less expensive and less time-consuming than traditional divorce. No-Fight Divorce provides the latest and most up-to-date information on the practices of divorce law and mediation...read more

A guide for men on how to manage a divorce with civility and fairness offers advice on how to minimize emotional turmoil on both a divorcing couple and their children, sharing practical information on such topics as custody issues, choosing a lawyer, handling a prenuptial agreement, and alimony. 40,000 first printing.

A comprehensive manual to the divorce mediation process covers selecting a mediator, going to court, negotiation, financial settlements, and judgements in contested and uncontested divorce situations

Product Description: The level of conflict between parents is the key factor in how children overcome the challenges divorce creates. This book provides an overview of relevant trends in law, conflict resolution and mental health and the empirical research that supports them...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Mediating Divorce is the most readable text on mediation thus far. The book really is a philosophical guide to divorce mediation and clearly spells out the elements and processes of divorce mediation. The book should have been written years ago and is destined to be a classic. —Tan Ngoh Tiong, executive member, International Federation of Social Workers Client's Workbook, contains helpful assessment tools and checklists, these 'take-home assignments' are an integral part to the mediation process.

An updated guide to the entire divorce process explains how the emotional and financial aspects of divorce can lead to conflict, offers practical advice on reaching an amicable agreement, and includes tips on the negotiation and legal process. Original. 12,500 first printing. (view table of contents)

Product Description: Some believe it is quicker, less expensive, and less painful to mediate support, custody, and visitation issues rather than battle over them in court. But how valid are the claims of meditation's wide-ranging benefits? Family Mediation traces the development of the field of mediation and discusses the state of current practices...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Answers questions about the mediation process, alimony, child support, property, business interests, retirement plans, and Social Security

A matrimonial attorney presents a practical guide to the divorce process, sharing key divorce and legal strategies and explaining how to cope with such problems as finances, child custody, and alimony

(view table of contents)

Product Description: To learn more about Rowman & Littlefield titles please visit us at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.

Discusses the advantages of divorce mediation, and offers advice on selecting a mediator, legal needs, and the mediation process

(view table of contents)

Describes the divorce mediator's unique mix of legal, psychological, and spiritual perspectives and discusses the ground rules and legal ramifications

An explanation of the principle of divorce mediation describes the mediator's unique mix of legal, psychological, and spiritual perspectives and discusses the ground rules and legal ramifications. Simultaneous.

Explains how the emotional and financial aspects of divorce can lead to conflict, offers practical advice on reaching an amicable agreement, and includes tips on the negotiation process

Mediation, as a procedure to assist couples in dealing with the problems incident to their separation and divorce, is still relatively new in the United States. For the would-be practitioner, that poses certain problems. Divorce mediation cannot provide a long history of generally accepted procedures. Nor is there even a body of information to which would-be practitioners can turn for instruction or guidance. And, of course, there are no established schools that can train or prepare a practitioner to do this work. To make matters worse, the situation is likely to remain in this state for some time to come. Given this fact, it was felt that it would be useful for practitioners (even for those already engaged in divorce mediation) to have a handbook which would trace a typical mediation from its inception to its conclusion and which would provide them with the substantive informa­ tion they need to know in order to do divorce mediation. It is hoped that this handbook will fill this need. Having said that, however, it must be acknowledged that the purpose of this book is very much beyond that. Until now, divorce mediation in the United States has been shaped principally by such books as O. J. Coogler's Structured Mediation in Divorce Settlements: A Handbook for Marital Mediators, 1 and John Haynes' Divorce Mediation: 2 A Practical Guide for Therapists and Counselors.

Describes the advantages of mediation in divorce cases, explains how it works, and tells how to reach a fair and decent settlement

Product Description: Impasses Of Divorce: The Dynamics and Resolution of Family Conflict [Paperback]

Product Description: Although divorce is essentially a matter of personal choice, its emotional aspects are necessarily entwined with legal dynamics, making decisions about divorce a matter of both the heart and the law. Consequently, feelings become facts that must be accommodated in the divorce process in order to reach a viable lasting result...read more