THE SMITH INSTITUTE FOR WELLBEING
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Family Mediation

Divorce mediation is a non-adversarial dispute resolution process facilitated by a neutral third-party mediator that helps the family resolve all of the issues required to get a divorce. Mediation is also just as useful to parents who were never married, parties dissolving civil unions, and parties changing existing agreements. Traditional litigious divorces tend to be about power and control, yet the parties involved end up transferring their decision-making power to a judge who knows very little about them and their families. Mediation empowers you to reach sustainable agreements and move forward with your lives.

In as few as 2 sessions, your mediator facilitate resolutions regarding:


Decision-making responsibilities of minor children (also known as legal custody)
Co-parenting responsibilities and scheduling (also known as residential custody)
Property identification, valuation, and division
Division of debt
Child support
Spousal support
Insurance
Taxes
​Modification of any existing agreements or court orders
Prenuptial agreements
Elder Care
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And ultimately help you come to mutually acceptable agreements for all of the decisions needed to restructure your family with peace and dignity.

Why Choose Mediation?

Mediation is faster and less expensive.

Mediation is much faster and less expensive than litigation. Complicated lawsuits can take weeks or months to resolve in a courtroom, and drag on for years, at immense cost to you. Tara can help to resolve disputes amicably between parties in as few sessions as possible.

Mediation gives you more options.

The parties can explore options and work out a settlement that can include a resolution that would not be available if the dispute were decided by a judge. The flexibility of mediation allows parties to form more satisfying resolutions than otherwise would have been available.

Mediation keeps you in control.

Unlike litigation or arbitration where the outcome is decided by a judge or arbitrator, mediation gives you a say in the outcome. As your mediator, Tara listens to you and, just as importantly, she makes sure the other side of the dispute hears and understands your point of view as well. You remain in control and resolve your dispute only under terms agreeable to you and the other parties.

Mediation is private.

Private mediation can limit the outside intervention in your case to one professional and allows both parties to have discussions in a secure, impartial environment, off the record.
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Why choose online mediation?

Physical distance does not need to be a barrier to the use of our services in a divorce. All of the benefits of mediation can still apply if you choose to pursue virtual divorce mediation, with substantial cost savings. Online mediation allows you to mediate from the comfort of your own space. You and the other party do not need to be in the same room to successfully reach a sustainable agreement. Technology allows us to create a safe and collaborative environment, using the most cutting-edge approaches, without being limited by location. Since online mediation allows all parties the convenience of participating remotely, appointments are easier to coordinate, which allows for a quicker settlement. Virtual mediation also helps to alleviate power imbalances, safety concerns, and aggression in cases where such conflict is a concern.
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  • About Us
  • Counseling
  • Groups
  • Mediation
  • Contact