Mediation, as a procedure to assist couples in dealing with the problems
incident to their separation and divorce, is still relatively new in the
United States. For the would-be practitioner, that poses certain
problems. Divorce mediation cannot provide a long history of generally
accepted procedures. Nor is there even a body of information to which
would-be practitioners can turn for instruction or guidance. And, of
course, there are no established schools that can train or prepare a
practitioner to do this work. To make matters worse, the situation is
likely to remain in this state for some time to come. Given this fact,
it was felt that it would be useful for practitioners (even for those
already engaged in divorce mediation) to have a handbook which would
trace a typical mediation from its inception to its conclusion and which
would provide them with the substantive informa- tion they need to know
in order to do divorce mediation. It is hoped that this handbook will
fill this need. Having said that, however, it must be acknowledged that
the purpose of this book is very much beyond that. Until now, divorce
mediation in the United States has been shaped principally by such books
as O. J. Coogler's Structured Mediation in Divorce Settlements: A
Handbook for Marital Mediators, 1 and John Haynes' Divorce Mediation: 2
A Practical Guide for Therapists and Counselors.
