Healthy Divorce Mediation 101: How Therapists Can Prevent Conflict and Protect Children is designed to help clinicians understand how the divorce mediation process works from beginning to end. Participants will develop an understanding of the advantages of mediation compared to litigation.

Participants will understand the “client-centered” strategic divorce mediation process, including raising every relevant issue, explaining Arizona law, developing personalized options, strategically facilitating conversations, and guiding parties to their best possible agreements. Participants will understand foundational mediation concepts such as interest-based negotiation, clients’ self-determination, mediator impartiality, balancing, and mediation confidentiality.

We will highlight the parallels between mediation strategies with therapeutic interventions including reframing, future focus, mutualizing, asking questions, educating, preempting, giving hope and encouragement, harnessing momentum, anchoring, and acknowledging.

Michael Aurit, JD, MDR, is a Professional Mediator and the Co-Founder of The Aurit Center for Divorce Mediation in Arizona and The National Mediation Training Institute. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law and Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law. He is a former President of The Academy of Professional Family Mediators. He authors Raising Arizona Kids Magazine’s monthly column Courageous Co-Parenting. Michael is married to Karen Aurit, and they live in Phoenix, Arizona with their three and five-year-old daughters. Michael can be reached at michael@auritmediation.com.

Karen Aurit, LAMFT, is the Director and Co-Founder of The Aurit Center for Divorce Mediation in Arizona and The National Mediation Training Institute. Karen is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in mindfulness theory. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at The Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law and Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law. She authors Raising Arizona Kids Magazine’s monthly relationship column Healthy Love Habits. Karen is married to Michael Aurit, and they live in Phoenix, Arizona, with their three and five-year-old daughters. Karen can be reached at karen@auritmediation.com.

Parents’ failure to stop fighting and end the conflict in their relationship is the central cause of children’s poor adjustment five years after divorce (Wallerstein and Kelly, 1980; Cummings, E., Davies, 1994; Kelly and Emery, 2003). High parental conflict prevents children from accepting and integrating the divorce. It may also include the parents bad-mouthing one another to their children, which can cause serious long-term psychological issues for the children.

Decades after Wallerstein and Kelly’s (1980) research demonstrated the extent to which continued conflict during and after divorce can cause damage to children, custody battles and divorce wars rage on, damaging families and causing serious harm to children. Many people remain unaware that a healthier way to divorce is readily available. This is a missed opportunity to stabilize the family structure and preserve relationships.

In divorce mediation, a neutral mediator helps spouses respectfully reach mutually beneficial agreements on all divorce issues including dividing assets and debts, determining spousal support, and addressing all necessary parenting issues without the clients ever going to court.

Dr. Robert Emery (2001) found that parents who mediate their divorce have substantially better relationships with their children after a divorce than parents who litigate in court. For example, a startling 54% of children whose parents mediated their divorces had weekly phone contact with their non-resident parent twelve years after the divorce, compared to only 14% of children whose parents litigated in court.

By reducing conflict, parents also significantly reduce the time and cost of their divorce process and decrease the emotional strain for everyone involved. After divorce, the benefits of mediation continue as the mediated parenting plan provides a solid foundation for healthy co-parenting.

Mental health professionals may educate their clients about the benefits of mediation as evidence-based research shows mediation is better for children and families. A therapist’s natural interest in supporting families beyond active therapy is enhanced by guiding couples toward a healthy divorce process.

This 1-hour CE is designed to help clinicians understand:

1. How the divorce mediation process works from beginning to end.
2. The advantages of mediation when compared to litigation.
3. Details of the client-centered, strategic divorce mediation process, including raising every relevant issue, explaining Arizona law, developing personalized options, strategically facilitating conversations, and guiding parties to their best possible agreements.
4. Foundational mediation concepts include interest-based negotiation, clients’ self-determination, mediator impartiality, balancing, and mediation confidentiality.
5. Conflict resolution strategies and skills that parallel therapeutic interventions include reframing, future focus, mutualizing, asking questions, educating, preempting, giving hope and encouragement, harnessing momentum, anchoring, and acknowledging.