The Handbook of Divorce Mediation

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.