Effects of divorce education on mediation process and outcome

Abstract

A nationwide survey of practitioner‐level mediators (n = 253) was conducted to determine their views on the effectiveness of divorce education programs for parents on both the process and the outcome of divorce mediation. Over three‐quarters of the respondents reported that divorce education programs were available in their communities, most typically run by the local court or by an independent, nonprofit organization, and over half are mandatory. Over half of the mediators report that they do formal divorce education with clients at least sometimes. Perceived impacts on the mediation process and outcome included greater focus on the children, more cooperation and better communication skills demonstrated by the parents, fewer sole custody parenting plans, and a trend toward less time required to reach agreement. Modal responses indicated that mediators generally believe divorce education is appropriate for highly conflicted and power‐imbalanced couples but is less so for couples involved in substance or spousal abuse. Just over two‐thirds believe divorce education should be mandatory for all divorcing couples with children. Results are discussed in terms of programmatic needs.