In family and divorce mediation, each family member has the opportunity to express their point of view, and the mediator assists by helping the parties to communicate, to identify issues needing to be resolved, to develop options for resolving the issues, and to come to agreement on resolution if possible. Often, couples facing divorce or separation must continue to co-parent their children. In these cases, a mediator can assist them in devising a post-marriage plan that allows each spouse to move forward with new clarity. Recent research consistently shows that the well-being of children of divorced parents is strongest when the parents are able to co-parent well after separating. Mediation assists parents in continuing to be involved in the lives of their children in a way that is optimum for those children.