Mediation harnesses the power of the neutral. As a Mediator, I work as a neutral to educate my clients in matters related to what they need to accomplish, facilitate the conversation and work to come to clear agreements. A Mediator is a neutral and cannot advocate for either person.

As a Mediator I can support you and your spouse, and give you information, but I cannot advocate for either of you. In terms of separation/divorce, my usual role is to mediate between parents to resolve problems relating to the separation/divorce process. This could be regarding parenting time, parenting styles, consistency across households or decision-making.

I also mediate differences between parents about topics covered in the Parenting Plan. A parenting plan is a written document that outlines how parents will raise their child after separation or divorce. It organizes the types of things that are generally talked about between parents around the kitchen table or after the kids are in bed like educational and medical decisions, child care, birthdays, holidays and other special days, vacations, etc. It might also include items like the introduction of a third party and the right of first refusal on additional parenting time.

Integrative Mediation is when the tasks that need to be completed cross over into more than one discipline such that conversations with one neutral professional are incomplete or the cannot move forward. Integrative Mediation creates the opportunity for two neutral mediators to work together with you to cover all the relevant aspects of a situation (e.g., a situation in which a family home must be sold but establishing a two-household family is complicated by the needs of a special needs child and issues of finance).