Abstract
Disputed child custody is a significant life stressor for both adults and children. Recent efforts have been made to develop a model for family mediation and subsequent clinical strategies that can attempt to address the stressors involved in divorce and perhaps resolve, through mediation, the posttrauma stress experienced by both spouses and children. Reviewed is the literature on the impact of separation and divorce on families and the use of family mediation to resolve disputes. It further addresses psychologic factors involved in the mediation process and the possible effects of mediation on divorce. An established family mediation model for treatment is presented in detail, as are clinical issues often addressed in the family mediation process. Issues and import for clinical application and research are offered.
Footnotes
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Appreciation is extended to Tag Heister, Diane Gelarden and Ethel Mullins, Library Service; Lorie Shepherd and Sheila Whitaker, Psychology Service, VAMC, Lexington; and Virginia Gift and Patricia Garr, Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky for their assistance in the preparation of this manuscript.
- Copyright © 1986, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
