resolving family rifts through mediation

As mediation becomes more frequently THE option of choice for couples going through separation or divorce, many families are also realizing that mediation is a great tool to help them work out other types of crises they may be experiencing.

In a previous blog, I told the story of divorced parents who came to mediation because their 17-year-old son wanted to go from living with his mother to living with his father. You can read the story at: mediating family disputes

Here are some other examples of family rifts and actual cases, some of which I have personally helped people resolve through mediation:

Visits with grandchildren – Disputes between adult children and their parents
Financial disagreements
Older parent needing full-time care – Adult siblings were at odds with each other because one was assuming more of the responsibility than the other. In one case, the one sibling went to live on a boat with her husband for several years while the other was taking care of the parent full-time, and most of that time unable to reach her sister at sea.
Care of the elderly – Adult siblings of a parent with dementia, who can no longer make decisions for himself, disagree on how to allocate expenses for the care of that parent, or what the best care for him would be.
Grandmothers – Sharing the care of their teenage children’s baby with different views on child-rearing
Second marriages – Disagreements on how each party raises his/her children
Marital mediation where there is no intention of separating – Disagreements within a marriage, where the parties are not able to resolve certain issues without a neutral party’s help. These disputes include, but are not limited to, how they allocate their money, each person’s responsibilities within the home, household chores or care of the children.

There may be many other disputes in families which could benefit from mediation. If you know families caught in a difficult conflict, please encourage them to try mediation.

Rather than letting the drama escalate and lead to a long-term division in the family, let’s help people resolve some of their issues before they reach a point of no return.

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Jennifer Safian

jennifer safian. divorce and family mediator
divorce and family mediation
upper east side of manhattan (nyc)
new york, ny
(917) 881 5206
jpsafian@gmail.com