Do both myself and my spouse need to be in the same room if we go the…..

Not necessarily, although normally mediations do take place with both you, your spouse, and the mediator together in one room. The more important question, though, is: why wouldn’t you want to be in the same room with your spouse during mediation? While mediation is not without conflict, it is still supposed to occur in a safe environment, with both parties participating freely and relatively equally. If you are worried for your own safety while in a mediation session, or if you are worried that your spouse will harm you in some way after the mediation session if he or she does not like what you said while you were with the mediator, then perhaps mediation is not the best choice for you.

Karen A. Covy, J.D. is a divorce attorney and family law mediator in Chicago Illinois . She is the author of When Happily Ever After Ends, How to Survive Your Divorce Emotionally, Financially and Legally.