Books, Websites and Additional Resources

Parenting Plan Tune-ups

Books

We have found the following books to be helpful to our clients when preparing for or participating in mediation. You can obtain any of these books at your local bookstore.

The Divorce Mediation Answer Book: Save Time, Money, anbd Emotional Energy With a Mediated Separation Or Divorce
by Dolores Deane Walker and Carol A. Butler
(Paperback January 1999)

This book explains the mediation process and what to expect from mediators regarding settlement hot spots. The question-and-answer format makes it easy to find specific information about major issues such as parenting and financial decisions.

How to Avoid the Divorce from Hell and Dance Together at Your Daughter's Wedding
by M. Sue Talia

Divorce is painful and unpleasant under the best of circumstances, but it doesn't have to be hell. Learn how to avoid common pitfalls that lead to war, substitute constructive solutions, and increase the likelihood that you and your spouse can have a civilized divorce, for your own sake and that of your children.

Between Love and Hate: A Guide to Civilized Divorce
by Lois Gold
(Paperback January 1996)

Ms. Gold is past President of the Academy of Family Mediators and is in private practice in Oregon. This book is the result of over 20 years of helping couples work through the crisis of ending marriages constructively and creating a foundation for healing.

Most divorcing couples want to end their marriages in a manner that preserves their dignity and spares their children the agony of a long, ugly legal battle. This book describes seven keys to preventing a divorce from becoming an adversarial contest. It describes a model for what divorcing parents can do that is positive for themselves, their spouse, and their children. Learn an adult process of disengaging from marriage and moving towards healing, parenting during and after divorce, and preparing for and successfully mediating divorce agreements.

Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation
by William Ury
(Paperback February 1993)

A guide to successful negotiation shows readers how to stay cool under pressure, stand up for themselves without provoking opposition, deal with underhanded tactics, find mutually agreeable options, and more. It offers strategies for dealing with someone who is angry, unreasonable, deceitful, or stubborn and who does not want to negotiate. Learn how to turn adversaries into negotiating partners.

Getting to Yes: How to Negotiate Agreement Without Giving In
by Roger Fisher and William Ury
(Paperback December 1991)

Two negotiation experts from Harvard offer a universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting taken—and without getting nasty. Concise, step-by-step, proven strategies aid the reader in coming to mutually acceptable agreements in any type of conflict.

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Useful Websites

florida dispute resolution center
(Click on the link, the on Judicial Administration and then on Alternative Dispute Resolution)
Supreme Court Building
500 South Duval Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1905
850 921-2910
fax 850 488-0156

The Dispute Resolution Center was established in 1986. It serves as Florida's center for education, training and research in the field of alternative dispute resolution. The Center certifies mediators and mediator training for the courts in Florida, and the discipline of mediators through the mediator qualifications board. The Center provides staff assistance to the Supreme Court Committees on Mediation and Arbitration, the Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee, and the Mediation Training Review Board.

florida academy of professional mediators, inc.
P.O. Box 488
Archer, Florida 32618-0488
800 808-8494
fax: 352 373-6515

The Academy's mission is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, information and ideas between mediators and to promote mediation as an effective and efficient tool for dispute resolution. The Academy regularly sponsors advanced mediation training each year.

mediation information & resource center
This is a site listing mediators around the country and additional information on mediation. The family section contains useful articles related to family mediation. It is a good place to look for mediators in other states, including a referral service.

American Bar Association
section of dispute resolution
740 15th St. NW
Washington, DC 20005-1009
202 662-1680
fax: 202 662-1683

The Section of Dispute Resolution, established in 1993, provides information and technical assistance on all aspects of dispute resolution; studying existing methods for the prompt and effective resolution of disputes; adapting current legal procedures to accommodate court-annexed and court-directed dispute resolution processes; activating state and local bar involvement in dispute resolution, and conducting public and professional education programs.

the association of family and conciliation courts
This international and interdisciplinary association is dedicated to the constructive resolution of family disputes. A Florida chapter is currently being organized.

american arbitration association
This not-for-profit, public service organization is dedicated to the resolution of disputes through the use of arbitration, mediation, conciliation, negotiation, democratic elections and other voluntary procedures. It is primarily focused on business and commercial disputes.

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