It’s not uncommon for New Jersey divorces to be stressful. High emotions and tense discussions can often lead to a high-conflict divorce where it becomes difficult to engage with your partner.
There are ways to navigate high-conflict divorces. A common tool is divorce mediation, which is designed specifically to help individuals to work together amicably while going through a divorce.
Benefits of divorce mediation
The benefit of mediation is for couples to work through negotiations and disagreements out of court. This can save money on court fees and produce a more collaborative environment.
Mediation also provides more privacy than a traditional courtroom as well as more control over the negotiations. You and your ex get the chance to come to a decision together rather than having it be decided by a judge.
Do you still have to go to court?
There are still things that will need to be finalized in court, such as custody arrangements and the actual divorce. Mediation just gives individuals the chance to come to agreements preemptively, which can help foster a better dynamic going forward.
If you and your ex can’t come to an agreement on a specific issue, like visitation or alimony, then it will be necessary for the matter to be settled in court. Additionally, settling things in the courtroom may be the only solution if your ex is unwilling to negotiate or is uncooperative throughout the divorce mediation process.
How to make mediation work for you
You also want to go into mediation with a goal in mind. It is beneficial for you to have a list of specific topics that need to be addressed as well as what your boundaries are.
For the best outcome, it’s important that you set these boundaries early and hold firm to them. It can be hard to set these boundaries by yourself. Whatever professional mediation service you are using can help you enforce these boundaries and outline them ahead of time.