Mediation is voluntary. Each spouse must agree to take part in the mediation process. Most commonly, one spouse alone is the initiator of the divorce. The other spouse usually falls on a spectrum from tacit agreement that divorce is happening to complete refusal to acknowledge the idea of divorce. Spouses are rarely, if ever, in the same place emotionally. One is most always more ready than the other. Arizona is a no-fault divorce state. This means that when one spouse wishes to divorce, a divorce will be finalized by the court, regardless of how the other spouse feels about it. One cannot prevent the other from getting divorced. But together, the spouses can make a life-changing choice about how the divorce will happen: mediation or litigation. We encourage all people to attend our initial free consultation to gain as much information as possible and get answers to your questions. Even if you do not want to attend the consultation, or want to stay married, you can still become informed and more knowledgeable about your options, empowering you to your benefit. The consultation does not begin the divorce mediation process. You may choose to begin the process sometime after your consultation. Clients often feel a sense of relief after the consultation, when it becomes clear that a simple process with tremendous support exists to help them get through this time in their life. You could share this FAQ page and our general website with your spouse. You can also invite your spouse to contact us by phone with any questions prior to the consultation, if that helps.