If you have decided to separate from your spouse, you may be overwhelmed at the options and decisions that are before you. Should you go through the traditional divorce process, or attempt a form of alternative dispute resolution? Should you hire a family law attorney? Should you seek full custody of your children? What should you do about the house, the car, the debt?

Certainly, some of these are difficult decisions with no clear 'right' answer. But others can be resolved with just a little information. Deciding whether to use mediation to resolve your divorce, for example, is usually done through an examination of the method and determining whether it will be right for you and your family.

Mediation is a process of alternative dispute resolution in which a trained mediator helps couples work through the issues in their divorce and reach a solution that is best for each spouse and the family as a whole. Through the mediator's ability to guide couples away from confrontation and negotiation hazards, it minimizes the bitterness, frustration and anger that is an end product of so many California divorces.

So how do you know if mediation is the best solution for you? First, you should have some issues to resolve. If you and your spouse are on the same page about child custody, property settlement, and all other divorce-related matters, mediation probably won't be necessary.

Second, you both need to be able to work together to come up with a mediated settlement. You don't need to be in agreement on all matters, but simply willing to negotiate and compromise to find a solution that is best for your family.

Source: The Huffington Post, "What Most People Don't Know About Divorce Mediation," J. Richard Kulerski and Kari Cornelison, Jan. 24, 2012