Marital mediation is effective for a number of types of marital issues. Financial issues of all sorts lend themselves well to marital mediation. These include job loss, debt problems, spending patterns, feelings of lack of contribution by the other party, risk taking desires, changes of careers, home improvement projects, to name a few. These are practical issues that, if left unaddressed, can cause a couple great difficulty and distress that affects all aspects of their relationship. These are the types of issues that can end marriages. They are common, and they can be addressed in marital mediation.
Another area where marital mediation is very effective is in communication styles and how to resolve disputes. They all come down to the problem of two people always have different views and, even in a long marriage, don’t entirely understand each other. Little annoyances can destroy the happiness of a marriage.
Most marriages suffer because parties have negative ways of handling differences. Marital mediation provides excellent training and analysis of communication and negotiation skills, smoothing the way towards a happier, more loving marriage.
Marital mediation is also helpful to “normalize” troubles in a marriage, such as when life events (such as deaths, illness, or even infidelity) occur. These events often derail marriages, but they do not have to.
Marital mediation also gives a couple thinking of divorce a “reality check” of what divorce is really like. Often, afterwards, the couple becomes more committed to working out their problems.
