Mediation for Families
Our Mediation Services
Family Mediation Group of New York is committed to empowering families by offering mediation services that result in peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
Divorce & Separation Mediation
Divorce and Separation Mediation is a service that assists couples in cooperatively ending their marriage. Our process helps couples focus on making decisions together rather than acting as adversaries. Through our mediation services, couples are able to reduce the conflict and hostility associated with separation and divorce, which helps to reduce the emotional stress of the process.
Division of Assets & Liabilities
Our mediators help both parties identify and value assets, liabilities, and other financial obligations. Assets and Liabilities will include the following:
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Marital Home - The mediators will help couples decide how to deal with their marital home in a way that meets the needs of both spouses as well as their entire family and will assist in negotiating an equitable division of both the value (equity) and the liability (mortgage) of the home.
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Division of Pensions & Retirement Funds - Our mediation service for the division of pensions and retirement funds helps couples divide their shared assets equitably. The mediator can assist in determining the present value of pension and retirement plans and help identify what portion of those funds would be marital versus personal property.
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Life Insurance and Health Insurance - Life insurance and health insurance are important considerations in divorce and separation. Through mediation, the couples can assure that proper health insurance is provided for all family members, especially any minor children. Additionally, the mediators can assist in a discussion of life insurance being provided in the event of the death of one parent to meet the future needs of any minor children still in the home.
Child Custody/Parenting Plans and Child Support
Divorcing parents’ primary concerns are to minimize stress and emotional upheaval for their children and assure that their children’s present and future financial needs are addressed.
​Our mediators will carefully explain State Guidelines for Child Support and work with the parents to develop a child support plan that will work for their family’s specific financial circumstances.
We will also help the parents craft an age-appropriate parenting plan including a holiday and vacation schedule, and help them resolve any possible co-parenting issues. We can also help parents modify existing parenting plans as the children grow older.
Spousal Support/Maintenance
Formerly referred to as alimony, each case is unique and the mediators will assist the parties in making the financial transition in a way that is fair and equitable.
Gay Divorce: Unique Challenges and Considerations
Marriages in the LGBTQ+ community face the same pressures as any other community, and sometimes, divorce is inevitable. However, divorces for LGBTQ+ couples often come with unique complexities and challenges that require careful navigation. These include issues such as determining the length of the marriage, establishing legal parentage of children, and distinguishing between marital and separate property. Additionally, some courts and judges may not be fully aware of or sensitive to the nuances involved in LGBTQ+ divorces, leading to potential misunderstandings and biases.
Given these complexities, LGBTQ+ couples seeking divorce can benefit from the assistance of mediators who are knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ issues and the specific legal frameworks in which these divorces occur. A mediator with experience in LGBTQ+ divorces can help guide couples through the process and address the unique challenges they face, promoting fair and equitable outcomes.
In summary, while LGBTQ+ divorces share many similarities with other divorces, the unique legal and social challenges require specialized understanding and sensitivity. Finding the right support can help ensure that the divorce process is as smooth and respectful as possible.
Marital Mediation
Many couples are struggling with specific issues that have led them to a juncture where they must decide if the issues can be resolved without dissolving the relationship. Our mediators work with the parties to determine if the issues can be resolved without ending the marriage.
Family Mediation
Family Mediation can take many forms including addressing challenges in blended families due to remarriage, resolving disputes that arise out of family businesses, or assisting siblings in managing concerns related to elder care.
Unmarried Couples
Our mediators are experienced in dealing with unmarried couples who have cohabitated and often have issues that mirror those of married couples including commingled financial resources, jointly held assets and liabilities, or child support and custody issues.
Pet Sharing
For many people, their pets are very much a part of the family. Our mediators work with couples to develop a pet sharing plan akin to a co-parenting plan.