Are you looking for a divorce mediator?

Separation and divorce are among the most challenging and emotionally demanding life transitions  the people involved may ever face.  As a divorce mediator certified to mediate the most complex divorce issues, I can help you have the conversations needed to resolve all the issues that must be decided to get divorced without a court trial.  And I can help put your agreements in writing for submission to the court in an uncontested divorce proceeding.

In mediation, we can work on any or all the topics and questions that may (or must) be addressed in your separation and divorce if you are to avoid a court trial, such as:

  • Separation agreements (living arrangements, co-parenting, support)
  • Property settlement agreements
  • Spousal support (alimony) agreements – both interim (during separation) and longer term (e.g. post-divorce)
  • Parenting agreements and parenting plans
  • Child-support agreements
  • Changes to any of the above if something in your existing agreement is not working optimally
  • Domestic relations orders, including QDROs (Qualified Domestic Relations Orders) needed for the allocation (equitable distribution) in divorce of retirement accounts, benefits, and pensions, such as civilian public employee pensions, e.g.
    • Private company 401(k) plans and traditional defined-benefit pensions.
    • Public-school or nonprofit organization 403(b) plans
    • State and local government 457(b) plans
    • Federal retirement plans, including basic federal retirement benefits under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and Thrift Savings Plans (TSP)
  • Allocation between divorcing spouses of Military Retired Pay, including Survivor Benefit Plans (SBPs)
  • Agreements regarding the valuation and (if necessary) division of family-owned businesses

As a divorce mediator, I aim to provide a safe and supportive space in which you can stop fighting, stop agonizing over the next interaction with your partner, and avoid spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars or more on a court process that no one will win.

I created Mediation From The Heart® (a philosophy and approach to mediation) because I believe that many couples want and deserve better than a pitched battle in court (litigation) to get through separation and divorce. I believe most families are far better served when they can avoid or minimize the acrimony and the suffering that divorce usually entails in the adversarial court process. Mediation as I offer it provides a supportive setting and process in which couples can move from war (or avoidance, or surrender) to respectful collaboration so that they can preserve their humanity and dignity while also preserving their savings.

If you live in or near Fairfax County, Arlington, Loudoun, Alexandria, DC, or Montgomery County, Maryland, and are looking for family mediation services or a divorce mediator near you, please get in touch. We can speak on the phone and then, if it makes sense to meet, we can do so online or at offices located in any of these places.