Mediation is a process in which an impartial third party (the mediator) assists couples and disputants in finding a mutually acceptable solution to their conflicts. Mediation is both voluntary and confidential. Mediation works because it allows the participants to find the best and longest lasting solutions themselves with an intermediary's help. While it might be hard to imagine calmly and rationally discussing the dissolution of your marriage, the alternative is costly litigation and the court deciding what's best for you and your family. Divorce mediation offers you an affordable and sensible alternative to divorce lawyers and litigation for all of your divorce settlement needs. Divorce mediation is a calm, confidential process that utilizes methods for resolution that gently remove the emotional aspects of divorce from the negotiation process, allowing real progress to be made. Divorce mediation is significantly less expensive than litigated (court) divorces and takes a fraction of the time that it takes divorce attorneys to settle a case. Robin Graine, JD owner of Graine Mediation in Fairfax, Virginia, is a Supreme Court of Virginia Certified Mediator and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™ (CDFA).