The feelings of entitlement in divorce can certainly exacerbate an already emotionally charged process.
However, the path to resolution can be more straightforward than one might assume, especially when it comes to addressing this sense of entitlement.
Rather than letting entitlement fuel conflicts, the art of mediation can play a pivotal role in dispelling it.
How? Well, mediation helps to quell these feelings by fostering open and empathetic discussions between estranged spouses.
Here are some helpful tips:
1️⃣Encourage Self-Reflection:
Mediators often ask questions that prompt self-reflection, such as “What are your core concerns in this divorce?” This allows both parties to reevaluate their perspectives and priorities.
2️⃣Balance Interests:
Mediation aims to create a win-win solution. Mediators may ask questions like, “How can we meet the needs of both parties fairly?” This shifts the focus from entitlement to fairness and cooperation.
3️⃣Promoting Communication:
Skilled mediators facilitate communication between spouses, ensuring that both voices are heard. They might ask, “What can we do to enhance your understanding of each other’s viewpoints?”
Let’s shift our focus from entitlement to cooperation. By embracing the power of empathetic questions, you can alleviate the challenges of divorce for yourself and your loved ones.
If you or someone you know is currently facing a divorce, please reach out to us for support.
Beryl McNeill is a Calgary divorce lawyer who strongly believes mutual respect and understanding go a long way toward resolving family law matters. As a Registered Collaborative Law practitioner in Calgary, she has dedicated her firm to amicable, cooperative negotiation as a means for settling divorces. Furthermore, throughout her law career, Beryl has seen the costs of adversarial negotiations, both financial and emotional. In emphasizing the collaborative approach, Beryl offers her clients a more efficient model that preserves personal and monetary assets alike.
More and more individuals are attracted to resolving their family law matters in a civil, respectful way. Therefore, they come to Beryl from many walks of life—as professionals in the oil and gas industry and their spouses, business owners, and working spouses with children. Clients say that even after a single consultation with Beryl they feel less stressed and more clear about the way forward.
Beryl understands the often fearful, emotional early stages of divorce. Incorporating skills developed from her training as a life coach, Beryl helps clients move beyond their stress response to more logical, creative thinking. Once there, she works with clients to discover what’s truly important to them in attaining divorce. Furthermore, she encourages clients to picture what a successful settlement would look like a year or more down the road as a means of focusing on their goals. By educating and empowering clients, Beryl seeks to transform the way they resolve family disputes—in a more constructive, intelligent and amicable way than would be possible otherwise.
Finally, Beryl is very active with the Family Bar and the Collaborative Law Community. Her involvement provides her clients with the assurance that she has her finger on the pulse of Family Law in Alberta, offering them a distinct advantage in their quest for equity and civility.