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Cultural Competence: Where does it begin?
I attended the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) in the fall of 2014 in beautiful San Diego with Elizabeth Hyde, Lene Madsen and Jennifer Suzar, distinguished mediators from Ontario. I...
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Guest Post: The Effects of Divorce on Children
Children have an especially difficult time with divorce. At times, parents neglect to consider the ramifications of the effects of the divorce or separation on their children. Understanding how...
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Guest Post: Communication is Key
My mother recently passed away and I am grateful for the communication we had about her wishes and preferences for when the time came. She suffered from a chronic illness so the family had time to...
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Guest Post: Kids, Divorce and School Success: Keeping the Communication Open
As we all know, the stress of divorce can affect a child’s academic performance as well as all other areas of school-life success. However, parents who have been divorced for some time, as well as a...
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Guest Post: “Introduction to ADR” and Communication
In a recent course I took at Riverdale Mediation (“Introduction to ADR”), the significance of effective and appropriate communication in family mediation became clear. Throughout the course our three...
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Outline of a Basic Family Mediation Process (Part 1 of An 8-Part Series)
As with negotiation, the mediation process follows a basic framework. The framework that a mediator uses will be determined by the principles that guide through. At Riverdale Mediation, these are our...
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Outline of a Basic Family Mediation Process (Part 2 of An 8-Part Series)
As with negotiation, the mediation process follows a basic framework. The framework that a mediator uses will be determined by the principles that guide through. At Riverdale Mediation, these are our...
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Outline of a Basic Family Mediation Process: Part 3 of 8 – On-Going Screening
A case that appears appropriate for mediation can change at any time into a case that is inappropriate for mediation; it is your job to monitor signs… ___________________________ As with negotiation,...
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Outline of a Basic Family Mediation Process: Part 4 of 8 – Views &...
The law requires the (mediation) process to enable the views and preferences of the children to be heard and understood… ____________________________ As with negotiation, the mediation process follows...
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Coach your client to be a better negotiator!
I recently gave a workshop to a fantastic group of mediators in Winnipeg at the ADR Institute of Manitoba. The topic: Coaching in ADR: attitudes, questions and strategies to help you help your clients...
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Outline of a Basic Family Mediation Process: Part 5 of 8 – Starting the...
Reference to the guiding principles of the process is appropriate at this stage, as well as ensuring that the parties are comfortable… ___________________________ As with negotiation, the mediation...
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Norton’s Perspective on Parenting Coordination
“Combining mediation and arbitration, as well as elements of coaching and education, Parenting Coordinators serve as the primary resource for co-parents wishing to finally see an end to their co-parent...
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Interviewing Children in the PC Process
Though parents are ultimately the decision makers, and the children do not have the same decision making authority, parents decisions can be informed by the children’s wishes. _________________________...
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Recognizing moments of Successful Co-parenting
Providing hope and a realistic vision is as important as developing a roadmap for parents that they can follow towards achieving their final destination. ________________ Like any intervention...
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Outline of a Basic Family Mediation Process: Part 6 of 8 – Moving the Parties...
It is critical for mediators, during this phase of the mediation, to balance active and non-judging listening, curious questioning and gentle prodding towards the “what’s next”....
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Outline of a Basic Family Mediation Process: Part 7 & 8 – Documenting...
You will be extensively summarizing, re-summarizing, going back to notes made earlier, doing calculations, explaining options, and helping the parties consider all of the “what ifs” of the options on...
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GUEST POST: Early Neutral Consultation (ENC) and Family Mediation – working...
Since September 2013 a new entry point process of Early Neutral Consultation (ENC), invented in Canada, has been available for families to start the process of dispute resolution on the right pathway,...
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What do the stats tell us about court based mediation in Toronto? *
(*a summary of statistics of our free and subsidized family mediation programs April 2014-March 2015) Background: Going to court for custody, access, child or spousal support and property division can...
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Ontario’s Mediation & Information Services for Separating Couples a Success
Recent statistics show that the most frequent users of Ontario’s free Family Law Information Centres are lawyers, and that the public who uses these free information services and free or subsidized...
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Family Dispute Resolution Brings Changing Needs in the Profession
The family dispute resolution (FDR) field has grown exponentially over the past ten years. This has been in response to the changes occurring in family law generally: more unrepresented people,...
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