Mediation Support

How Can I help You?

As a therapist with 25 years in practice I am a trained mediator and experienced in dispute resolution.  I mediation for couples who are going trough Divorce, or I can just mediate Parenting Plans for divorcing or separating couples, either married, or never married.  A mediator is:

  • Neutral facilitator who help the parties explore the problem, and find new options to resolve the dispute.
  • Does not judge who is right or wrong
  • Does not give legal advice.
  • Guides the parties through a very effective problem solving process to resolve the issues between them
  • Creates a comfortable environment for  discussion;
  • Helps the parties  define exactly what they are disputing;
  • Makes sure the discussion stays on track;
  • Assists the parties in identifying and communicating their priorities and concerns; 
  • Supports the parties in reaching an agreement.

Mediators do not take sides, or make decisions for you. The parties create and agree to their own solutions. Nothing is imposed by the mediator.

What Type of Mediation Do I Practice?

 I primarily use facilitative meditation in my practice.  As a mediator I :

  •  Structures a process to assist the parties in reaching a mutually agreeable resolution
  • Asks question of each party to explore both sides of an issue
  • Validate and normalize each parties’ points of view
  • Searches for  common interests underneath the positions taken by parties;
  • Assists the parties in finding and analyzing options for resolution.
  • Help parties come to agreements based on information and understanding.
  • Usually hold joint sessions with all parties present so that the parties can hear each other’s points of view
  • Hold caucuses ( individual meetings with clients during a mediation) if needed
  • Help parties to have the major influence on decisions made, rather than any outside influences

 Mediated Parenting Plans

This mediation service is a confidential process designed to offer parents the ability to design a workable and age appropriate parenting plan for children and their post-divorce relationship. This service is ideal for the parents who want to have professional direction to create a plan that works for their family without the warfare of a typical divorce.

Parenting plans focus on your child’s needs as well as the rights and responsibilities of both parents. Generally plans outline:

  • Holidays and vacations schedules
  • Address the day-to-day sharing of the children.
  • Discuss extra curricular activities and payment 
  • Outline when and how new relationships will be introduced to children if parents date and remarry
  • Educational plans for the future
  • Counseling on medical needs – who will carry insurance or pay for medical/counseling bills
  • Behaviors to prevent alienation 

Why Choose Divorce Mediation?

                                                 MEDIATION MATTERS BECAUSE…

You Have a Chance to be Heard

In contrast to court, where you won’t get to talk to each other, the divorce mediation process offers both the setting and support you may need to talk  directly to each other.  This is critical because this is the time when parties often are avoiding each other, have stopped talking, and are not sharing information. Instead of a fight, in mediation it’s a conversation.

You Control the Outcome

As opposed to having a third party – whether attorneys or a judge – make crucial decisions about your family, you keep control of what happens in your life.  Often parents think if they go to court they will finally be heard by the judge.  However the court system pits one parent against the other and  you can never be sure that the court  will decide in your favor.  In fact, you actually have less control in  court than in mediation, where ideas and suggestions originate from you.  Courts also cannot help improve communication or solve your problems.

You and Your Spouse Are More Likely to Actually Keep Your Agreements

As you both work to generate solutions in mediation, you each have ownership of your decisions.  Therefore you are both more likely to voluntarily enforce the agreements you make together, than if a court imposes a solution upon you or your spouse. There is less need to worry about enforcement.

You & Your Children Begin the Healing Process

The inevitable result of a court battle, whatever the financial outcome, involves blame, bitterness, and damaged relationships. What you do now will affect your relationships in the future. Court related custody battles can require as much as 5 years of recovery for all family members.  Staying out of court can significantly improve your children’s ability to heal from this process, as well as your own.  Research has shown that a parent’s ability to move on from their divorce in an appropriate manner is one of the most significant factors  in  a child’s adjustment after a divorce.  

You Can Feel More Positive about How You Handle Your Divorce.

You can choose to handle your divorce in a different way than you did your marriage.  Research shows that the less children see parents fighting during a  divorce, the more likely they are to make positive adjustments to their new family situations.  How will your children remember this time?  Mediation offers an alternative to court battles and prolonged conflict with your spouse.  

You Save Time, Money and Emotional Strain

When both parties agree to work together, the costs–including time, money, and emotional costs–are considerably less than those of a typical contested divorce.
Most high-conflict divorces go on for years. Prolonged divorces deplete assets, entail expensive professional services, interrupt business, and interfere with opportunities for personal growth and the desire to get on with life. Divorce mediation, by contrast, helps achieve closure.
It Works!

Did You Know….

Over 97% of divorces are settled by agreement between the couple. So maybe it makes sense from the outset to choose to be one of that 97%.
Clients often feel good about successfully mediating their case and are glad they chose mediation. They are grateful for the support and help they received through the process. 

 

Contact Lisa

Office Location

Office Address
4131 Spicewood Springs Road
Suite D-3
Austin, TX 78759


Map of Office Complex

(click map to enlarge)

Google map

(512) 643-2851
(512) 502-5399 (fax)

Mailing Address

Lisa Rothfus
4131 Spicewood Springs Road
Suite D-3
Austin, TX 78759