Karen Aurit, LAMFT
Founder and Director
Mediation Professional
“We realized that in court, a
healthy divorce wasn’t a choice,
so we created The Aurit Center.”
— Karen Aurit and Michael Aurit, Co-Founders
We believe people want to make healthy choices and find solutions.
At 5 years old, playing on the playground, Michael was already a mini-mediator. With his family, on the playground, at the mall—he’d take any opportunity to help people solve problems.
Karen’s first books without pictures were about family psychology—she was a unique young girl fascinated by human emotions and her ‘wish-upon-a-star’ was to help people feel better.
When Karen completed her clinical psychology degree and Michael completed law school their visions aligned.
Realizing the legal system, meant to help families and their children through conflict, was actually causing them harm, they set out to provide a solution.
The solution was, and is, healthy divorce mediation.
Combining their backgrounds in law and psychology, they designed a simple, caring, and strategic process that helps people focus on reaching their best agreements and making positive, healthy choices for their children.
“Along with our dedicated team, we are fully committed to helping people lower their conflict, understand their choices, and have a healthier divorce.”
We’re here for you, and with you, every step of the way.”
— Karen and Michael
Co-founders, Karen and Michael, have carefully selected a team of professional family mediators whose expertise ranks among the best in the nation.
Founder and Director
Mediation Professional
Founder and Director
Professional Mediator
Mediation Coordinator
Mediation Coordinator
Legal Coordinator
Paralegal
Development Director
Professional Mediator
Creative Director
Professional Mediator
We help spouses have a healthy divorce
We believe in reducing stress for you and in protecting your children from the harmful effects of conflict in litigation.
We provide a simple process with affordable and predictable flat fees.
Our empathetic mediators guide you to reach the best possible agreement for you and your family without any fighting in court.
Everything said in mediation is confidential.
We simplify your process and ease the transitions of divorce.
We care about the health and well-being of you and your family.
We focus on helping you create your best possible agreement.
We support you with optimism, encouragement, and hope.
We respect you and guide your process with genuine care and integrity.
We acknowledge how difficult this process can be and meet you where you are.
“I’m so glad we went the mediation route.”
“Well-organized, supportive, compassionate and effective: I’m so glad we went the mediation route. I was completely satisfied with the Aurit Center.
Their level of skill and compassion surpassed what I expected during the difficult process of divorce.”
-A.P.
”The process made me feel like I was in control of the outcome”
“I feel fortunate to have found Michael and Karen Aurit to guide me through my divorce mediation. They explained everything at a comfortable level, and the process made me feel like I was in control of the outcome. Michael was always professional as well as compassionate toward our feelings. Of course, divorce is difficult to go through, but I could not have imagined it happening any other way!
Thank you, Michael and Karen Aurit!”
-P.F.
“They made a not-so-easy process seem almost effortless.”
“Michael and Karen are amazing! They made a not-so-easy process seem almost effortless. Not only is it their knowledge of the process, but it’s the way they made me feel during the whole thing. I don’t wish this situation on anyone, but if I know someone who may find themselves in need of this type of service, I will definitely recommend that they reach out to Michael and Karen.”
-B.F.
“Being a chaplain and ordained pastor, I’m aware of the deep hurts of divorce .”
“I can’t thank you enough for your assistance with this. Some issues came up that could have been additional strain and damage, but you kept us on course. Thanks first to God and secondly to you for guiding us in working this out. I am certain that both my ex-wife and I are in a much better situation today not having gone through our divorce with attorneys in the court system.
I am very thankful and grateful to you for making this process easier to handle.
Blessings, Proverbs 15:1”
-C.C.
“He knew when to jump in, and when to stay out of the way”
“Michael is a great mediator. He has a high level of skill, and he used a consistent and logical process. More importantly, Michael displayed excellent situational awareness — he knew when to jump in and when to stay out of the way. Also, the entire Aurit team was professional and respectful. They made a difficult circumstance easier to bear.”
-S.K.
“I’m happy to have worked with you and your team.”
“Thank you for all your help as we worked through this process.
It went as smoothly as it could. I’m glad to be on the other side, and think we are both glad to have avoided the emotional turbulence associated with the normal divorce process. I’m very happy to have worked with you and your team.”
-C.P.
“Michael is encouraging that there is life after divorce.”
“My experience with the Aurit Center was truly amazing. Michael made a difficult situation easier to process. He was caring and informative. If I had a question, he would take the time to provide all the information requested. Although I dislike divorce, Michael made the experience easier to navigate, and I am thankful. I would recommend The Aurit Center for Divorce Mediation to anyone who has to go through divorce. Michael is encouraging that there is life after divorce.
The Aurit Center truly helps!”
-D.M.
“It was a load off … to know everything was taken care of.”
“It was as good an experience as it could be, considering the circumstances. Michael was extremely calming and did a great job diffusing tense situations. It’s painful to deal with paperwork and decrees and signings, etc., etc., so it was a load off the mind and the emotions to know everything was taken care of.”
-L.B.
“The process was … professional yet extremely compassionate”
“The process was completely professional yet extremely compassionate.
Michael provided a comfortable environment and helped navigate us through the rougher parts of negotiations with great sensitivity. It was largely due to his encouragement and guidance that we were able to come to a mutually acceptable agreement in a relatively short period of time.
Highly recommend The Aurit Center!”
-O.W.
“They kept us focused.”
“The best thing I can say about this experience is that you all made the process somewhat painless and kept us focused when we could have easily veered off course emotionally. If anyone I know ever has to go through such an experience, I would definitely recommend mediation from the Aurit Center, of course!”
-T.R.
“The Aurits and their excellent staff assist couples respectfully and constructively.”
“I highly recommend The Aurit Center for Divorce Mediation.
The divorce process is a stressful and emotional life event, but the Aurits and their excellent staff assist couples respectfully and constructively to work through the entire process. They are available and responsive to any and all questions during the mediation. Michael Aurit is a wonderful mediator who truly cares about his clients.”
-A.S.
“I felt like family.”
“I’m so happy that I came to Aurit Mediation. The service from Michael and his staff was beyond what I expected. I felt like family, and the patience and kindness they gave me throughout the process made me feel at ease.
It was truly five-star service all the way.”
-B.R.
“They made a difficult time a much easier process.”
“Everyone at Aurit Center genuinely cares and made a difficult time a much easier process, without all the drama of lawyers.
Thank you so much.”
-D.S.
“It was fair and fast and addresses all the issues.”
“Michael was great—exactly who I would want to handle a complex and difficult life event. His demeanor was always calm and rational. He walked us through each step thoughtfully and explained many of the options we had available to us as we worked toward our final settlement. In the end, I feel like we have an agreement that was fair and fast and addresses all the issues.”
-K.R.
“Through difficult discussions, emotions, and legalese.”
“Through difficult discussions, emotions, and legalese, I always felt like I was in excellent hands. They made our process go much more smoothly and simply than I anticipated.
I couldn’t recommend Aurit more highly.”
-C.G.
“The process seemed fairly simple.”
“Since we didn’t have a very dramatic divorce the process seemed fairly simple.
The support and guidance we received, though, was extremely well thought out, prepared, and applied. I this makes an important difference in cases where there are more differences.”
-J.G.
“[The Aurit Center’s] communication was outstanding.”
“Going through a divorce is the hardest thing to do—no matter what the circumstances were to get there. Going through mediation takes a lot of the conflict out of a stressful situation, which is so important. Michael was patient and walked us through some tough decisions. He was kind and respectful, as was his staff. Everything was done timely, and the communication was outstanding.”
-T.R.
“[Mediation] saved our future relationship as friends.”
“Michael and his team were extremely professional and caring throughout the entire divorce process. Michael approached each topic in a calm manner, and was able to keep us on track and defuse any situation that became contentious. Not having to appear in court and battle with each other through attorneys saved our future relationship as friends.
Thanks to all of you for making this difficult time in our lives as pleasant as possible.”
-N.B.
“We put our children first!”
“They did a fantastic job guiding us through the process and keeping us on track. With their assistance, we were able to get through this quickly, remain civil, and put our children first!”
-S.K.
“They took away the stress”
“The Aurit Center for Divorce Mediation is an amazing group of professional and compassionate and understanding individuals who made the process of divorce less painful. Divorce affects the whole family. Taking care of all the necessary paperwork and filing took away the stress and didn’t have to appear in court. In my case, I’m at peace and happy. I’m able to remain friends with my ex-husband. I can remember the good years and memories.
I certainly would recommend Aurit.”
-L.P.
The Aurit Center has been voted Best of Our Valley for Best Family Law in Arizona Foothills Magazine for seven consecutive years, 2016-2022.
Our mediators have been featured on NBC, CBS, and ABC News, and have been published by Parents Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Marie Claire, and Men’s Health.
We educate professional mediators from around the world, nation, and state, at the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine School of Law and the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law at Arizona State University.
We understand the legal, financial, and emotional challenges of divorce, so we guide and support you through the transitions.
How? We begin by offering you a complimentary consultation to provide the essential information you need and to answer all of your questions. You will get to know our dedicated mediation coordinators who will provide support when you need it the most.
Because we care, we believe in answering the phones the old-fashioned way, in person. Our goal is to provide you with a simple, comforting, and caring environment. Before, during, and after your divorce, we are here to help.
We also strongly believe in protecting children from the harm of litigation. Our process reduces stress for everyone involved.
How? We help parents create detailed, custom parenting plans. Our guidance is based on current research regarding the needs of children during divorce. We provide you with educational articles and access to therapeutic resources. We provide continued support with updating your agreements as your children grow.
Michael and Karen Aurit’s monthly columns as seen on RaisingArizonaKids.com
"Parents can agree that any parenting time missed during the crisis will be made up in the future," says Aurit
“Schooling from home is a monumental shift in parenting,” Aurit says, often requiring that a typical custody schedule be completely reinvented.
Michael Aurit speak about mediation over litigation on ABC Channel 15 KNXV News.
“The key is that it is not one parent dictating to the other the way it is going to be,” Aurit says.
The most heroic gift you can give your children is taking every opportunity possible to speak positively about your co-parent.
The Aurit Center Featured in Men’s Health
The Aurit Center of Divorce Mediation was featured on KTVK-PHX Channel 3
Winner for Best Family Law
Courts don't have the answer. Parents are the only ones who can make this call," shared Michael Aurit.
A typical day in my life includes a focus on helping divorcing spouses and parents avoid a harmful court battle.
Three years have passed since the words “child custody” have been spoken in an Arizona courtroom. They have not been missed.
The Aurit Center featured in HuffPost Magazine on tips for choosing the best mediator.
The Aurit Center published in Scottsdale Health Magazine. "Divorce doesn't have to be a war."
Article by Michael Aurit featured on APFM.
Michael Aurit talks about how to deal with pets in a divorce.
The Aurit Center For Divorce Mediation was featured on the Morning Scramble by AZTV on August 31st 2015.
Responsible parents cooperate as co-parents during and after divorce..
The biggest obstacle for the mediation industry is that people aren't aware that mediation exists as a better alternative to court litigation.
“It’s not the divorce itself that causes long term emotional issues in kids, it’s conflict during divorce — so parents: lower your conflict.”
Watch the interview on Fox 10 News.
I think I need to file for divorce because my Husband will never file first.
Our neutral mediators help spouses personalize their fairest and best possible divorce agreements. We work to reduce stress for everyone involved, and believe in protecting children from the harm of litigation.