On December 28th 2014 I was pleased to be a guest on the radio program Mediation Station. Our topic was “Why Would I Need A Mediator?” So, I regularly have people say to me “Oh I am...
Jan
2015
19
Have you been divorced before? If not, you probably don’t know where to start or what to do! That is not uncommon. Divorce – You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know I was sitting in the...
Sep
2014
29
We hear it all of the time in the Divorce Industry – decisions should be made in the ‘Best interests of the Children”. Seems rather obvious right?
You and the other parent may have different opinions of what decisions are in your children’s best interest. You don’t agree and that’s ok. You were always going to disagree on some aspects of parenting even if you had stayed together.
You can both be looking out for your children’s best interests but believe that can be obtained in different ways. That doesn’t make either of your right or wrong, it’s just life.
Separation is change and how you manage it will dictate how successfully your children will get through it.
Aug
2014
22
As a mediator and separation coach I hear this statement all of the time “this isn’t fair”.
As a person who went through a nasty divorce I myself thought many times “this isn’t fair”.
What is fair though? Fair to whom? Fairness is subjective and we each have our own idea of fairness. What I think is fair to me, may not what you think is fair.
I read this quote today and I thought it was very appropriate for this blog post,
“Fairness is protecting not only you but all who are involved.”
Well that is a tall order!
Protect yourself – Yup, got it.
Protect your kids – No problem there.
Protect your ex – Wait, what? No thank you.
May
2014
20
Author: Rubab Abid, CTVNews.ca Published Sunday, May 11, 2014 10:15PM EDT Elder Mediation and Caregiver Support With an aging Canadian population and the increasing cost of nursing homes, the number o...
Mar
2014
03
As a Mediator my role is to help people communicate through conflict, to find resolutions to problems and to actively participate in decisions.
Mediation is a fair, safe and balanced process that ensures everyone has a voice. It’s less costly than the legal process and much more efficient in most cases.
Yet I still wonder daily why mediation is not as common place as counselling or lawyers? People in conflict tend to call a counsellor (to deal with the emotional side) or a lawyer (to deal with the legal side). A mediator helps deals with the practical side of conflict which is often where the biggest problems occur.
Nov
2013
06
I taped my weekly show, We Need To Talk on Rogers TV Durham last week about Senior Care. Now I’ve been in the position to care for both my children and my parents at the same time – itR...
Mar
2013
05
Here’s a letter that I wrote back in 2010 to a person that wanted support from someone in the “divorce industry’ to help them with their battle to change the Family Law Process. I had the added (dis)advantage of having also personally gone through it. I just found it and had a quick read. I still feel strongly that lawyers and mediators should work together more to benefit our clients. I have however softened a little as I have met some wonderful lawyers that ARE client focused. Have a read and let me know what you think. I’d love the feedback.
I’m writing this letter in support of your efforts to bring awareness to the changes so desperately needed in the current family law process.
Jan
2013
22
It’s well documented that employee stress is a growing concern for organizations today. Stress that negatively impacts the workplace may come from work, personal or family sources.
Workplace dynamics are as unique as each organization and should be aligned to the organizational culture. Having strong Human Resource Management is important to balancing workplace dynamics.
A key role for Human Resources (HR) is to act as an employee advocate. External mediators act as partners to assist with disputes and training. Mediation provides a process that is fair, balanced and confidential. Whether founded or not, a common criticism of HR partners is that they are in place only to support management and employee issues are not dealt with fairly.
Oct
2012
30
As with any process, mediation is not for everyone. Some people can work out their terms without outside assistance, while others require legal and/or psychological support. Your conflict may be fami...