In divorce mediation, planned separate sessions are used for various purposes. The mediator can empower a weaker spouse, assess a spouse's negotiating flexibility, clarify each party's interests, or allow a person to vent. Because the focus is on one person at a time, the mediator can usually create a greater rapport, which leads to an increased chance of reaching a settlement.

In our divorce mediation training we teach the mediation skills that are used in separate sessions. These mediation skills are also used in "caucuses," which are spontaneous meetings with one side at a time.

Although caucuses are used more frequently in civil mediation than in divorce mediation, the experienced family mediator knows that there are moments when caucusing is essential. One of the mediation skills that we address in our divorce mediation training is how to decide when to call a caucus. Another mediation skill we teach in our divorce mediation training is how to handle a caucus so that it will produce movement toward a settlement.

Although some family mediators believe that separate sessions have no place in a divorce mediation, at Coast To Coast we have found the opposite to be true. Meeting with each person separately has long been an accepted practice in civil mediation. We see no reason to ignore this mediation technique simply because the subject of the mediation is divorce.

We have observed over the years that separate sessions are invaluable in divorce mediation, so we routinely schedule the third session with clients separately, followed immediately by a joint session. Mirroring the model we use in civil mediation caucuses, we keep all information that we learn in separate sessions confidential. We demonstrate how to hold separate sessions in our divorce mediation training, so that you have an opportunity to observe how these sessions differ from joint mediation sessions.