The text describes the nature and purposes of child custody mediation, including a historic overview of attitudes toward child custody and a look at the skills needed to resolve the problems arising in custody disputes. Next, attention turns to the structure of the mediation process: the context for negotiations, the phases of mediation, and the requirements for mediation agreements. The author analyzes strategies used by children, parents, and mediators during custody disputes the elements that contribute to the success or failure of mediation (five successful and five unsuccessful cases are reviewed). The final section considers special mediation issues, including visitation, mediating custody when one parent moves, stepparents' roles, and attitudes towards parents' sexual mores and behavior. Ethical issues and value conflicts between parents are highlighted, and recommendations for attorneys and judges are given. Appendixes contain California statutes on joint custody, mandatory mediation, and family conciliation courts; samples of confidentiality forms; and sample mediation agreements. About 80 references and an index are supplied.