Our services

Family matters often involve interconnected decisions about children, parenting arrangements, financial support, property, assets, debts, and life after separation or divorce.

Align Mediation Group offers a neutral, structured, and confidential setting where participants can discuss their concerns, explore available options, and work toward practical agreements tailored to their circumstances and priorities.

Our role is to guide the mediation process, facilitate constructive communication, and help participants find common ground—without taking sides or making decisions for them.

Divorce & Separation Mediation

A guided process for identifying the issues that need resolution, organizing relevant financial and family information, discussing possible solutions, and documenting any agreements reached through mediation.

Issues may include:

• Terms of separation and proposed divorce settlement

• Parenting arrangements and child-related responsibilities

• Child support and spousal maintenance

• Division of marital assets, separate property, and debts

• Real estate, retirement accounts, investments, and other financial interests

• Allocation of ongoing financial obligations

• Practical arrangements for transitioning to separate households

Child Custody & Decision-Making

An opportunity to clarify each parent's concerns regarding legal and physical custody, identify shared goals, and develop workable decision-making arrangements and communication guidelines that fits the best interests of the child. Some family disputes arise from communication difficulties, conflicting expectations, or recurring disagreements rather than a single legal issue. Mediation can help participants establish practical ways to communicate and address future concerns.

Issues may include:

• Decision-making regarding education and healthcare

• School enrollment and educational planning

• Medical, dental, and mental health care decisions

• Extracurricular activities and other important commitments

• Communication and information-sharing between parents

• Procedures for addressing future disagreements

A clear parenting schedule can help children maintain meaningful relationships with both parents while reducing misunderstandings and recurring conflict.

Issues may include:

• Regular weekday and weekend schedules

• Overnight parenting time

• Holidays, birthdays, and special occasions

• School vacations and summer schedules

• Transportation and exchanges

• Travel and vacation arrangements

• Schedule changes and make-up parenting time

• Communication with children during the other parent's parenting time

• Procedures for addressing future scheduling conflicts

Parenting Time & Parenting Plans

What Issues Does Family Mediation Resolve?

Family mediation provides a structured, confidential setting where individuals can address family-related disputes, explore practical solutions, and work toward mutually acceptable agreements. At Align Mediation Group, we help participants navigate the financial, parenting, and personal decisions that arise during separation, divorce, and post-divorce transitions.

1. Divorce & Separation

Separation involves important decisions about finances, property, parenting, and future responsibilities. Mediation helps couples identify the issues that need to be resolved, exchange relevant information, and negotiate terms for moving forward.

Topics may include separation arrangements, financial responsibilities, division of assets and debts, spousal maintenance, and the terms of a proposed settlement.

2. Child Custody & Decision-Making

Parents may disagree about where their children will live, how major decisions will be made, or how to share parental responsibilities. Mediation provides an opportunity to discuss these concerns and develop parenting arrangements focused on the children's needs and best interests.

Topics may include legal custody, decision-making authority, education, healthcare, extracurricular activities, and communication between parents.

3. Parenting Time & Visitation Schedules

A clear and realistic parenting schedule can reduce misunderstandings and recurring conflict. Mediation helps parents develop arrangements that reflect their children's ages, routines, school schedules, and family circumstances.

Discussions may address regular parenting schedules, weekends, holidays, school breaks, vacations, transportation, exchanges, and procedures for requesting schedule changes.

4. Child Support & Child-Related Expenses

Mediation helps parents discuss financial responsibilities associated with raising their children and identify areas where agreement may be possible.

Topics may include child support, childcare expenses, health insurance, unreimbursed medical costs, educational expenses, extracurricular activities, and the allocation of other child-related costs. Any proposed arrangement should be evaluated for compliance with applicable law and the children's needs.

5. Spousal Maintenance & Financial Support

During separation or divorce, spouses may need to address how living expenses and financial responsibilities will be managed. Mediation facilitates discussions about income, expenses, financial needs, and possible support arrangements.

Topics may include the amount and duration of proposed spousal maintenance, payment schedules, and related financial responsibilities. Participants are encouraged to obtain independent legal advice regarding their rights and applicable legal standards.

6. Division of Marital & Separate Property

Property division can involve more than deciding who keeps particular assets. Mediation helps participants identify property, exchange financial information, consider available options, and negotiate a proposed distribution.

Issues may include the marital residence, other real estate, bank accounts, investments, retirement accounts, businesses, vehicles, personal property, and the distinction between marital and separate property.

7. Allocation of Debts & Financial Obligations

Existing debts and ongoing financial obligations can complicate separation and divorce. Mediation allows participants to discuss responsibility for credit cards, loans, mortgages, tax liabilities, and other obligations, as well as practical arrangements for payment.

The parties can explore options for allocating debts and coordinating financial responsibilities, subject to applicable law and the rights of creditors and other third parties.

8. Modification of Custody & Parenting Time

As children grow and family circumstances change, existing parenting arrangements may no longer meet everyone's needs. Mediation helps parents discuss proposed changes and explore workable alternatives.

Topics may include changes to parenting schedules, school-year and summer arrangements, decision-making responsibilities, relocation-related concerns, and communication protocols. Whether a modification requires court approval or satisfies the applicable legal standard should be reviewed with an independent attorney.

9. Modification of Child Support & Maintenance

Changes in income, employment, childcare costs, healthcare expenses, or other circumstances may lead to disagreements about existing support arrangements. Mediation provides a setting to review the concerns, exchange relevant financial information, and explore possible adjustments.

Any proposed modification should be reviewed for compliance with applicable law. Existing court orders and agreements generally remain in effect unless they are properly modified.

10. Post-Judgment & Post-Divorce Disputes

A divorce judgment or settlement agreement may not resolve every future disagreement. Mediation can help former spouses address disputes that arise while implementing their existing arrangements or responding to changed circumstances.

Topics may include disagreements over payment obligations, parenting schedules, shared expenses, property transfers, financial disclosures, and the interpretation or implementation of settlement provisions.

11. Marital Agreement Disputes & Compliance

When spouses disagree about the meaning or performance of a marital settlement agreement, mediation may help them clarify the issues and explore possible resolutions.

Discussions may concern payment terms, property transfers, financial obligations, deadlines, and other provisions of an agreement. Mediation does not replace court enforcement proceedings or legal advice about whether a provision is enforceable.

12. Co-Parenting & Family Communication

Not every family dispute requires a formal legal proceeding. Sometimes, the central challenge is communication, coordination, or the inability to resolve recurring disagreements.

Mediation can help parents establish communication guidelines, procedures for addressing future disputes, expectations for sharing information, and practical approaches to making joint decisions.

A Practical Approach to Resolving Family Disputes

Every family has different needs and priorities. Our role is to provide a neutral process that encourages constructive communication, identifies areas of agreement, and helps participants explore realistic options.

Mediation is voluntary and does not guarantee settlement. It may not be appropriate where coercion, intimidation, domestic violence, or other safety concerns prevent meaningful participation.

At Align Mediation Group, our goal is to help you move from conflict toward clarity, with practical agreements that reflect your family's circumstances and future needs.

Important: Align Mediation Group provides mediation services, not legal representation or individualized legal advice. Participants are encouraged to consult independent, New York-licensed attorneys before signing agreements. Court filings, legal enforcement proceedings, and legal representation must be handled separately by appropriately retained legal counsel.

Child Support & Child-Related Expenses

Equitable Distribution of Assets & Debts

Property division can involve multiple assets, competing financial concerns, and questions about ownership, identify assets and debts, exchange relevant financial information, discuss the parties' respective positions, and explore possible distribution arrangements. Questions involving valuation, taxes, ownership rights, or legal classification may require advice from an independent attorney or other qualified professional. Mediation helps participants organize relevant information and explore possible ways to resolve property and debt issues.

Issues may include:

• Marital residence and other real estate

• Bank accounts, savings, and investments

• Retirement accounts, pensions, and other benefits

• Business interests and ownership interests

• Vehicles, valuable personal property, and household belongings

• Credit cards, loans, mortgages, and other debts

• Identification of marital and separate property

• Proposed allocation of assets and financial obligations

Financial support is an important part of meeting children's needs. Mediation helps parents discuss financial responsibilities, review relevant information, identify disputed expenses, discuss proposed arrangements and explore arrangements that are practical and consistent with applicable legal requirements.

Issues may include:

• Child support obligations

• Childcare and work-related childcare expenses

• Health insurance and unreimbursed medical expenses

• Educational expenses and extracurricular activities

• Allocation of other agreed child-related costs

• Payment arrangements and expense reimbursement procedures

• Financial arrangements associated with parenting schedules

Spousal Maintenance & Financial Arrangements

During separation or divorce, spouses may need to determine living expenses, income, financial needs, possible arrangements and financial obligations will be managed.

Issues may include:

• Proposed spousal maintenance

• Amount and duration of payments

• Payment schedules and related financial responsibilities

• Household expenses during separation

• Insurance and other ongoing expenses

• Financial arrangements associated with a proposed settlement