If negotiation fails in a Detroit custody battle, you have reached an impasse. An impasse is when you cannot come to an agreement.

Child custody negotiation can fail for many reasons. Perhaps you approached the negotiations in good faith, but the other parent had a hidden agenda-such as wanting to hurt you or to live better at your expense.

Or maybe one of you was too emotional to negotiate-letting feelings of insecurity or jealousy get in the way. Or maybe one of you is simply a litigious ex-spouse, viewing any negotiated agreement as a "giving in" or "surrendering" to the other parent.

Whatever the reason, if you still need a resolution, you will have to use another Detroit custody battle dispute resolution method. These include forms of alternative dispute resolution-such as mediation, arbitration, and conciliation-and litigation.

The Story Of Sheree and Keith

Sheree and Keith had two children when they divorced, Ethan, age four, and Katherine, age two. The Arkansas divorce decree specified that Sheree have primary physical custody, but the parents shared the children equally until Ethan entered kindergarten. Sheree then remarried, and announced she was moving to Tennessee. Keith responded by asking for custody of the children. The Chancery Court awarded him custody, but the Court of Appeals reversed, finding that "children belong to a different family unit than they did when their parents lived together. The new family unit consists of the children and the custodial parent, and what is advantageous to the unit's members as a whole, to each of its members individually, and to the way they relate to each other and function together is in the best interests of the children." Hollandsworth v. Knyzewski (2002) Arkansas No. CA 01-982.

Mental Health Resources

If you need some advice, these official sites all feature solid information and links to other sites:

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
www.aacap.org
Click on "Facts for Families" for more information.

National Institute of Mental Health
www.nimh.nih.gov
This site has good information "For the Public."

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
www.mentalhealth.org
To select a topic, enter it in the search box.

American Psychological Association Consumer Help
helping.apa.org
This "consumer" site gives short information, free brochures, and a toll-free number to find a psychologist.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
www.samhsa.gov
Click on "Publications" for access to directories, help lines, publications, and more.

A Detroit custody battle can come down to negotiation and when negotiations fail you need to know which way to go.

Brent Delaurentis is a father of a 6 year old girl and webmaster of a child custody blog. Because he went through a long and painful custody battle he knows exactly how parents who have to go through this feel. That's why he recommends The Child Custody Strategy Package ceated by 2 child custody experts Dr. Bricklin and Dr. Elliot. This proven strategy package goes into great detail how any mother or father in a custody battle can win their custody case. With free bonuses like the Child Custody Checklist (49 actions to take to help you win your custody case) it is the single greatest investment a mother or father can make when in a custody dispute. Win Your Custody Case