What is marital mediation? Why is it important?

By Admin Admin | June 8, 2022
Couple sitting in front of mediator

Newlyweds often find it hard to think how they will deal with various issues, difficulties, or disagreements during their marriage, especially in the early days of their journey.  But the…

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Divorce Mediation Primer

By Stephanie | January 29, 2019

I came across a nice synopsis of why mediation for your divorce may be the smartest choice. It is safe to say that most couples facing divorce expect the experience…

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Creative Co-Parenting

By Stephanie | January 24, 2019

One of the great dynamics that we participate in at our Divorce Mediation sessions at PeaceTalks is the age-old mantra “necessity is the mother of invention.” Once we’re able to establish…

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Amazon Fairness and Divorce, Oh My!

By Stephanie | January 21, 2019

For anyone who can’t let go of that “Money=Happiness” thing, just read and be kind of glad that you don’t have so much money that God borrows from you. The divorce…

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Less Painful Divorces

By Stephanie | January 21, 2019

With just less than half of married partners ending in divorce, therapists over time have developed some suggestions for making the process possibly less painful for everyone. You will see…

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Divorce Mediation Means Talking

By Stephanie | January 21, 2019

In getting to a mutually agreeable divorce settlement we make progress, literally, by getting couples to communicate with each other. Many couples find it difficult to communicate. Our therapist mediator will…

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Amazon Fairness and Divorce, Oh My!

By Stephanie | January 17, 2019

For anyone who can’t let go of that “Money=Happiness” thing, just read and be kind of glad that you don’t have so much money that God borrows from you. The divorce…

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Change In Divorce Mediation for 2019

By Stephanie | January 3, 2019

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a new law that changes the California Evidence Code that requires attorneys representing clients in mediation to provide disclosures in writing about mediation confidentiality. The…

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Should We Try Mediation?

By Stephanie | December 28, 2018

The following was excerpted from an article in the Boston Herald by Wendy Hickey Should We Try Mediation? The answer is yes for most people. The majority of couples we see…

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More Divorce Mediator Tips

By Stephanie | December 18, 2018

Here’s a couple more tips from the article I saw by Oren Kaufmann on the Mediate.com website. Don’t be penny wise and pound-foolish. Imagine the following not so unusual scenario. You…

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Mediator Tips On Divorce Difficulties

By Stephanie | December 13, 2018

There are a lot of commonalities with divorce and lessons from shared experiences can be extremely helpful when going through extremely stressful situations like divorce negotiations. Some great suggestions were…

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Divorce Mediation Misconceptions

By Stephanie | December 8, 2018

I came across an article in Divorce Magazine by Susan E. Guthrie that echoed familiar misconceptions that we come across at PeaceTalks, as do many of our colleagues. Here are a…

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Creative Not Clueless Divorce

By Stephanie | November 30, 2018

Besides the slight “Dog Bites Man” slant to another celebrity divorce, with the wife paying alimony, I want to highlight another example of the kind of “creative agreements” that PeaceTalks encourages…

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Celebrity Divorces and Mediation

By Stephanie | November 20, 2018

I came across an article by Jill Stanley, who covers celebrity legal stories, as to why some celebrities choose mediation for their divorce process. Using some couples from Malibu as a general…

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Giving and Saying Thanks

By Stephanie | November 20, 2018

Whether you are in or out of a divorce, the holidays are challenging enough without constant pictures of hellfire and smoky air in your eyes. It can be tough find…

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Quotes From Divorce Veterans

By Stephanie | November 14, 2018

There was an article in the Sunday LA Times by Ben Steverman of Bloomberg News with some very clear advice from some divorce professionals that have been doing this for…

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What to Ask the Mediator

By Stephanie | November 9, 2018

For people screening referrals they have received to mediation services some questions are best dealt with at the very beginning of the process. Even couples that may have already made…

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Divorce Last Minute Loophole

By Stephanie | November 7, 2018

For anyone that is still facing the December 31 deadline for filing here’s some possible relief from some of that anxiety. A lot of people have come to Peace Talks worried,…

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Divorce TV Style

By Stephanie | October 19, 2018

I get a kick out of how many people come to Peace Talks and talk about their divorce concerns and situations referencing plot lines from television shows. Being in Los Angeles…

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Divorce Lawyer Secrets

By Stephanie | October 18, 2018

Peace Talks, by definition, gives people the opportunity to talk about everything that is relevant to reaching an amicable agreement. This applies, as well, to all the legal advisors that come…

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Divorce – Ready or Not?

By Stephanie | October 10, 2018

Recently, I’ve been encountering a lot of feedback related to people “rushing” to a divorce, before being informed, as to what needs to be done ahead of time. Here are some…

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Common Questions About Divorce

By Stephanie | October 4, 2018

Here are a few of the questions that come up most often when people are their evaluating their options in relation to the divorce process. If you have some questions…

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Divorce Does Not Equal Failure

By Stephanie | September 26, 2018

Divorce isn’t a failure, therapists say. In fact, it could mean the marriage was a success. The overwhelming feeling of failureis almost impossible to avoid when divorce becomes a reality.…

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Mediation vs. Arbitration

By Stephanie | September 21, 2018

These two terms are being tossed around a lot as people prepare to meet the December 31st deadline for divorce related paperwork and try to avoid going to court. I’ve…

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Stress Rehearsal

By Stephanie | September 17, 2018

Every now and then even a “general” survey can be of use for a “specific” purpose. Dr. Grande highlights four common stress sources, from the Harris Interactive survey, for couples…

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Divorce and the 2018 Tax Law Change Snapshot

By Stephanie | August 13, 2018

I came across this exchange with Jim Tankersley who covers economic and tax policy for The New York Times and Ailsa Chang from NPR. Jim gives a nice summary of the…

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Divorce-A Coach Might Help

By Stephanie | July 9, 2018

At Peace Talks we have been doing a lot of “coaching” with the overwhelming process of divorce, from divorcing parents and premaritals as well as legal and psychological practitioners. Here’s…

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Women: Separate But Not Equal Pay

By Stephanie | May 14, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney Since I get reminded on a daily basis of why a lot of moms are finding it harder to celebrate things sometimes this seemed a bright piece…

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Temporary “Phonelessness” Is OK

By Stephanie | April 10, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney Co-parenting is tough enough without having to wonder if you’re one text away from that phone call from the Highway Patrol. Nobody wants to be the cop…

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The Small Outdoors

By Stephanie | April 3, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney Here it is again that time to start getting out and planning out some “away from the house” time. It seems to get tougher each year so…

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Unplugging To Connect

By Stephanie | March 30, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney Every family that I interact with has difficulty creating and managing their time together. By definition, Divorce creates two entities from one source. With our technology, it…

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March Against Madness-Madness Actually Responds

By Stephanie | March 26, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney Imagine Frances McDormand outside your house of white with 500,000 walking, breathing, two-legged billboards demanding action about the killing of her child. Apparently, if all politics are…

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Spring Cleaning

By Stephanie | March 20, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney As we finally are getting some much-needed rain I keep thinking about things, besides the social and political black holes, that are ripe for clean up. With…

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Crypto-Scams, or, Old Wolf New Online Sheepskin

By Stephanie | March 12, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney Every year around “Tax Time” consumers, across the board, get hit with opportunities to “turn that refund into a lot of money” and this year some of…

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Divorce Resource

By Stephanie | March 1, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney The more I read about how little time people have for things they’d like to do the question remains about how to make time for things they…

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Winter Olympics – Teaming Up

By Stephanie | February 19, 2018

by Stephanie Maloney Even if you don’t have “Olympic Fever” there are always some great moments worth watching.  Because I skated competitively growing up in Minnesota I’m reminded how important teamwork is to even…

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Abu Dhabi Lets Expats Bypass Sharia Law For Mediation

By peacetalkadmin | September 17, 2017

Recently Abu Dhabi broke from centuries of tradition and decided to allow non-Muslim expatriates to pursue a divorce through faith-based mediation. Though not a mirror image to western secular mediation,…

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Mediation in the News: The Williams Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | September 13, 2017

Back in June there was a news story about Richard Williams, the father of Venus & Serena, seeking to evict his estranged wife from their Florida home. A few days…

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Healing Trauma

By peacetalkadmin | September 6, 2017

by Alison Marcelino and Stephanie Maloney As part of the Conscious Uncoupling training, we attended a lecture given by Judy Waters, MFT, discussing “Healing Breakup Trauma.” In her talk, Ms.…

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Collaborative Divorce The Best Way To Divorce In California

By peacetalkadmin | April 10, 2016

You have decided your marriage is not working out. You want to divorce, but your friends have told you horror stories about dragging your divorce through the court system. You…

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How does Team Mediation Work & Why is It So Effective?

By peacetalkadmin | August 12, 2015

Congratulations! You are considering mediation as the process for resolving your divorce. In contrast to litigation, mediation is the sane, efficient and cost effective way to work through your potentially…

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Uncontested Divorce California

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Uncontested Divorce in California is becoming more and more common.  As more people embrace the idea of mediation, collaborative divorce, and even settling things themselves without going to court, more…

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The Truth is Irrelevant (all the time, not just in ADR Services)

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

TRUTH IS IRRELEVANT All the time. Not just for mediators, and not just for ADR Services.  When we think of disputes, most people think that ascertaining the truth is the…

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Mediate! Don’t Litigate.

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

There are huge advantages when you mediate your divorce, family law, custody, child support, alimony, spousal support or modification.  If you’ve spent any time at all on our web site,…

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8 Peace Practices for Uncontested Divorce California

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

There are 8 peace practices which are free and easy to practice every day. They’ll help you stay sane no matter what, and we all know that sanity is at…

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Prenuptial Agreement Sample?

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

As a family law mediator who mediates premarital agreements and prenuptial agreements, I’m often asked: What does a prenup look like? Do you have a sample? I’d love to be…

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Uncontested Divorce California Style, Part 2

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

The path to uncontested divorce in California, or anywhere else, is not always an easy one. Let’s face it, the thought of divorce can be pretty upsetting, scary, sad and…

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Mediate for Success

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

I’ve been a divorce lawyer for 22 years (youthful appearance notwithstanding!) and I’ve learned a lot about what works and what does not work when you’re getting divorced. I also…

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Divorce Strategy?

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

An accountant is helping one of our clients with some of the required financial documents for the divorce.  “I don’t want to ruin your strategy,” he says, “but I really…

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Court Field Trip: Mediation

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

We see a lot of grandstanding in mediation. I think a lot of clients think they’re going to get To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch style attention in court.  The…

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The Tale of 2 Blogs: Mediation

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

For those of you who’ve found this blog, but not the Making Divorce Work blog, I actually maintain 2 blogs. This one, the Peace Talks blog, is pretty straightforward. Mostly…

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Divorce and the Economy

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

At what price sanity? I’m no stranger to divorce during bad financial times.  I was admitted to the bar in 1988, during a huge financial downturn. Pretty quickly after that,…

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Divorce and Graphotherapy

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Divorce and Graphotherapy Guest blog post by Sheila Lowe, MS www.sheilalowe.com Divorce sucks. No point denying it. Whether you’ve grown to hate the person you once loved or the parting…

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Divorce in California

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

California has its own personality with divorce.  One of only 9 states that follows Community Property law, California seems intent on doing things its own way. But a divorce in…

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Shared Custody Schedules

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Shared Custody Schedules.  When you’ve been married you’ve been parenting together, the idea of seeing your kids on a schedule probably seems pretty foreign. It’s a divorce and separation reality,…

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Low Cost Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

In response to the recession, Peace Talks now offers a couple of new services for low cost divorce and uncontested divorce California. I hope you’ll keep us in mind if…

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Causes of Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

What Causes Divorce?         You hear a lot about the reasons marriages end. Usually, fingers point to affairs or money. But marriages don’t end because of events. In 23…

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Mediation Training: Family Law

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Mediation Training:  Family Law Here at Peace Talks we get a lot of questions about how to become a mediator.  For the full story, here’s a link to the “how…

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Divorce Threats: I’ll See You in Court!

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

There’s often a lot of grandstanding in divorce court proceedings. A lot of people say, “I’ll see you in court!” not knowing exactly what that means.  In the moment, they don’t…

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Cost of Divorce: Cost of Staying Together

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Putting a price on sanity? There have been so many articles on people who aren’t getting divorced because they “can’t afford it” that it’s making me a little alarmed. The…

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California Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Divorce in California Divorce law varies state-to-state, and California has the distinction of being one of 9 states that have enacted a Community Property law. As a divorce lawyer in…

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Setting Clear Boundaries in Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Setting Clear Boundaries Often, your marital or domestic situation does not meet the level of serious violence where you have to flee, but you are subject to consistent intimidation or…

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Mediation is the New and Improved Litigation

By peacetalkadmin | July 27, 2013

Well, there’s really no improvements on divorce and custody litigation. But mediation is definitely a better way to go.  Less costly, faster, confidential, on your schedule, tailored to your needs….the…

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Creating a Good Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

I know it’s an oxymoron:  nobody wants a divorce, so how could one be good? But when you’re faced with divorce, you have lots of opportunties to make it less…

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In Divorce, The Truth Is Not Relevant

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

The TRUTH IS IRRELEVANT IN DIVORCE. I know that sounds like crazy talk. But think about it this way: When we think of disputes, most of us think that the…

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Divorce: Kids and Custody

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

Kids and Custody Do you remember being a kid?  At my age it’s a little blurry, but I can tell you that adults often misunderstand how kids behave and think. …

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Cause of Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

What Causes Divorce? When thinking about how marriages end, people often look towards distinct events like affairs or money-related problems.  What we’ve found in our 20+ years of experience is…

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Divorce Sanity: The 8 Peace Practices

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

There are eight peace practices which are free and easy to stick to every day. They’ll help you stay sane no matter what, and we all know that sanity is…

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Creating a Good Divorce

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

I know. It’s an oxymoron–nobody wants a divorce to begin with, so how could a divorce be good?  There are a lot of ways to make the best of the…

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Insider Divorce Advice

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

Divorce Advice I Give My Friends I’ve been a divorce attorney for 24 years (youthful appearance notwithstanding).  As yo might guess, every single one of my friends (including Facebook friends)…

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TopTips for Choosing your Divorce Mediation Attorney

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

Choosing the right mediator is important. You’re going to be talking with your mediator about everything you care anything about in the entire world:  Your future, your kids, your home, your job…..and…

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Uncontested Divorce: California Guide

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

You Want an Uncontested Divorce….but how do you get there? The concept of divorce mediation is relatively new, but recently it has been getting a lot more attention.  Especially in…

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Parental Alientation and Divorce Mediation

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

I get asked a lot about Child Custody.  It’s not surprising, since a parent’s love for their children is bigger than any financial settlement.  Oftentimes, a parent feels that getting…

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Mediate Family Law, Don’t Litigate!

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

Here at Peace Talks, we love Mediation.  If you’ve spent any time looking through our site and blog posts, you know that already.  It’s an easy sell, because, to us,…

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Divorce Lies, Mediation Truths

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

Truth is a beloved institution.  It’s the cornerstone of our legal system. “The Truth of the Matter.”  “The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth.”  “I Want the Truth,” says…

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Divorce That Works

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

  If you’re reading this, you’re probably not in such a good place right now.  However it happens, realizing that your marriage doesn’t make you happy and that something has…

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8 Keys to Resolving Divorce Conflict

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

You never thought it would happen to you, yet here you are faced with divorce. Maybe you asked for the divorce. Maybe you’re the one who is being left. Even…

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Resolving Divorce Conflict – Listening Is Not Obeying

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

A Closer Look at Resolving Divorce Conflict  Key 2: Understand that Acknowledging and Listening are NOT the same as Obeying   You may be tempted to issue decrees as you…

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Resolving Divorce Conflict – Key 3: Use I-Statements

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

A Closer Look at Resolving Divorce Conflict Key 3: Use I-Statements When you’ve spent the better part of your working life mediating and finding peaceful resolutions to conflicts, you begin…

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Resolving Divorce Conflict – Giving the Benefit of the Doubt & Having Awkward Conversations

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

A Closer Look at Resolving Divorce Conflict Key 4: Give the Benefit of the Doubt. It’s hard to say which of these keys to resolving conflict we like the most.…

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The Best Way to Start Your Divorce – A Divorce Mission Statement

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

A Divorce Mission Statement Have you thought about how you want your divorce to go?  What’s your ideal resolution?  Do you see a clear winner or loser?  Divorce is one…

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Join Us for Divorce Options Every 1st Tuesday!

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

Peace of Mind Collaborative and the Los Angeles Collaborative Family Law Association are pleased to present a community-based series of Divorce Options

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Why This Collaborative Training is Different

By peacetalkadmin | July 26, 2013

Streamlined Collaborative Practice Protocols Training June 6-8, 2013 Skirball Center Los Angeles, CA The Marina Collaborative Divorce Practice Group along with Co-Sponsor, the Southern California Mediation Association, are excited to…

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End of Life Decisions

By peacetalkadmin | May 21, 2009

My mother is dying of cancer. Yes, this is Diana Mercer, founder of Peace Talks Mediation Services, Inc., talking. She’s had cancer for 10 years but has been mercifully symptom-free.…

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