What is mediation?
Is mediation for me?
The technical term for mediation is a “structured negotiation process”.
For you that means this is your chance to explain how you are feeling, what you need and what you don’t like in a safe place with a neutral person guiding you through.
You can talk about how the kids are coping and listen to what the kids need from you. It’s your chance to outline what you are worried about, what you would like and what you need for better peace of mind. But we will also listen to your ex, and any ideas they have which can get you there.
If you keep hitting brick walls, or conversations end up in arguments we can help you find a more productive path forward and work with you on how to better have those conversations in the future.
This negotiation is about finding a way for both of you to look at the whole family problem – whether that’s how much time each of you spends with your kids, where they sleep, how you each parent or how much money each of you needs to move house – and to come up with solutions everyone can live with.
You need to listen as much as you talk but we are here to keep all of that on track. We want you to be heard and we want you to hear.
For some of you, you will be able to sort things out once and for all. For others it is simply the first step on a path to better communication and healthy co-parenting.
It can be really tough, and often there’s a lot to get off your chest but we are solutions-focussed and we want the same thing as you – for your kids to thrive and be the best they can be, and for you to be able to confidently move on to what comes next.
The first step
First meeting: $495 each
This is an initial meeting for each of you where we get to hear you story and talk about whether we think mediation will work for you. You don’t need to bring anything but it is time to tell us what’s keeping you awake at night, what you’re worried about and what you think is working Ok. We won’t give you any legal advice but we will talk about the mediation process and what we need from you to make it work.
We need to meet you both but we will make individual appointments with each of you. If you aren’t sure how willing your ex is to participate, we will get in touch with them after we have spoken to you and go over things the same way we did with you.
The big day
First session: $995 each
Your first mediation session will last for up to 4 hours. Any longer and everyone’s brain goes a bit soft. It can be a tough day but we will keep the process on track and move you both in the right direction.
We will talk about how you want to split up your joint property and why. Or we will talk about how you are both going to spend time with your kids.
In most cases it works best to keep the two topics separate. Legally they are separate issues and emotionally then can be miles apart. We find it’s easier to nut out the best solution when you are completely focused on only one of these big ones at a time.
The day after
Subsequent session: $495 each
We think of this as a bit of a check-in – it runs for up to 2 hours and no, it’s very rarely the next day. If you have agreed on a property split but updated figures have thrown things a bit out of whack, or you were waiting to see what the house sold for, or you thought you could get those orders done yourself but then life got in the way – then it can help to sit down again with your mediator and finalise everything.
When you make plans around your kids it can help to give them a test run for a bit – it might be a big change for everyone and the kids take to it well . . . or maybe things aren’t going that swimmingly. A check-in lets you tweak parenting plans after a trial run of the practicalities.
If we didn’t get a chance to cover everything in your first session a subsequent session for new or additional topics will run just like a check-in.
DIY (design it yourself)
Where do we stand? $495
We are happy to meet with you, or even you and your ex together to talk about a settlement strategy incorporating everything you need to start again separately. Our focus is on out of court solutions and setting you on a path that will help you resolve things as quickly as possible without breaking the bank.
We can also customise any of our packages depending on your circumstances – whether you need a little bit of help or a lot.
All of our mediators are also trained collaborative family lawyers and we work with a network of professionals who can offer counselling, financial or legal advice. In many cases we can negotiate a fixed fee for these services as well and include them in an overall solution package for you.