Family Mediation: Facts, Myths, and Future Prospects

by Beck, Connie J.; Sales, Bruce Dennis

• ISBN13: 9781557987488
• ISBN10: 1557987483
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Amer Psychological Assn

Summary

In Family Mediation: Facts, Myths and Future Prospects, Connie J. A. Beck and Bruce D. Sales trace the development of the field as well as current mediation practices and take a hard look at the consequences for families and the legal system. For families enduring divorce, it is presumed that mediating support, custody, and visitation issues is quicker, less expensive and less painful than battling in court. But, how valid are the claims of mediation's wide-ranging benefits? Borrowing from the experiences and methods of psychotherapy research, the authors offer an engaging, highly informative critique of family mediation practice and research to reveal how much more needs to be done. Legal and mental health professionals involved with families in divorce will gain a clear understanding of the substantial research opportunities in the field, results of which have direct impact on social policies.

Author Biography

Bruce D. Sales, Ph.D. J.D. is director of The Psychology, Policy and Law Program at the University of Arizona, Tucson, where he is also a professor of psychology, psychiatry, sociology, and law.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
I. Divorce Mediation Practice and Scholarship	1	(24)
An Introduction to Divorce Mediation	3	(18)
Methodological Limits in Mediation Research	21	(4)
II. Assessing the Goals and Benefits of the Mediation Process	25	(98)
Full Discussion of Concerns	27	(14)
A Neutral Third Party as Mediator	41	(16)
Reduced Adversarialness and Emotional Stability of Parents	57	(20)
Increased Satisfaction of Disputants with Legal Procedures and Outcomes	77	(14)
Increased Compliance With Court Orders	91	(8)
Decreased Divorce Processing Costs	99	(24)
III. New Directions for Mediation Research and Theory to Inform Policy and Practice	123	(82)
Future Mediation Research	125	(42)
Current Mediation Theory	167	(14)
Future Mediation Theory	181	(24)
References	205	(28)
Table of Authorities	233	(2)
Author Index	235	(8)
Subject Index	243	(6)
About the Authors	249