Child custody cases can bring out the worst in every parent, particularly when the case when enters high stakes family law courtrooms. The battles between parents can be lengthy and put a strain on courtroom. Since most parents will only go through the court system once, there's a sense of unfamiliarity that can give many parents high anxiety.

Mediation, however, sets out clear rules about what's expected and the stages of the process. In mediation, a professionally trained expert sits down with the parties and work out the details of the case and any possible solutions. Mediators are trained to find whatever common ground is possible and to weed out any solutions that won't work, ultimately leading the parties to a mutual agreement wherever possible.

Effective mediators say that listening skills are the most critical, allowing parties to air their frustrations and evidence surrounding the case, and keep them calm by talking through the issues while remaining neutral. Grant funded programs have popped up around the country, working to train mediators on best practices for the industry. A typical training cycle for mediators requires 30 hours of training and working one on one with an experienced professional. Most individuals will co-mediate several sessions before working on their own and many people report great success with using mediation for child custody disputes.

Rather than focusing on presenting evidence and building up or tearing down one party or another, mediation focuses of generating a conversation between the two parties. Mediators should be skilled at facilitation techniques and committed to flexing a different kind of skill set when in a mediation room. Those currently working as regular mediators note that there's a lack of understanding that mediation is even an option, and even less knowledge about how it works. These grant-funded programs are continuing to expand their education about mediation to even more individuals, hoping to attract more qualified mediators.