In Florida, many couples choose to rely on mediators when going through a divorce. But do you know what a mediator's purpose ultimately is?

Unfortunately, many misunderstandings surround the role that they play in a split.

There are many myths regarding divorce mediation. For example, there's an old-standing belief that divorce mediation is not accepted by the legal profession. However, that hasn't been the case since 2000, when the American Bar Association embraced divorce mediation as a smart and even preferable method of handling a divorce.

Another common misconception is that divorce mediators are here to make decisions for you. In reality, they are only facilitators whose job is to help you and your spouse come to mutually agreeable terms on things you may not necessarily see eye-to-eye on. They are meant to be a neutral party that provides bias-free opinions regarding what you might want to consider doing. This way, all of the involved parties are hopefully able to leave the divorce with an equal share.Finally, many people believe that it's impossible to tell the good mediators from the bad ones. Fortunately, there are ways to check credentials, even though there are no state requirements that force private mediators to be certified or licensed.

You may also want to see how knowledgeable they are regarding state law, whether or not they have at least 60 hours of training, and if they are a graduate in law or are a mental health professional.

Mediators can be a valuable help in many different divorces. If you are interested in seeing what one can do for you, you may wish to look into it for yourself.