Our extensive hands-on experience mediating couples going through separation and divorce has given us the clear understanding that the breakdown of a family is  a highly emotive, worrying, tiring, stressful and distressing  experience which can trigger feelings of  anger, paranoia, mistrust, fear and hurt pride. It is vital  that  everyone has the opportunity to process  their hurt, frustration and anger in a supportive and  psychologically safe environment. Fiona provides this safe space for her clients to express their views in a non judgmental and confidential setting. She is always willing to roll up her sleeves and help her clients navigate the conflict away from triggered emotions towards practical steps of  rebuilding broken relationships, improving communication and re-aligning respectful behaviours.  While expressing emotions is important, the mediation process helps the parties focus on what is important, which is transitioning out of negative conflict and towards a  positive and practical future involving co-operation and co-parenting.

There is no one size fits all approach to resolving conflict and Fiona knows  that it is vital to get to know the parties, understand their needs and identify their fears and worries early on. Mediation also teaches us that a party led solution is one that is more likely to be agreed to, implemented and stuck to! Our mediator  gets to the heart of the family’s needs, taking interest in the parties' hopes for the future and helping them find ways to make those hopes a realistic reality. Matters that have been successfully resolved through mediation with Fiona include:
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• Agreement regarding co-parenting schedules
• Time with Dad
• Cross jurisdictional co-parenting (when a party wants to move to another country)
• Agreeing financial contribution for children
• Agreeing spousal maintenance
• Discussing children’s schooling
• Explaining the divorce to young children
• Managing teenagers during separation and divorce

When the breakdown involves children, Fiona has access to resources to help the family consider a “non-traditional”  reality and helps the family members consider all the different elements of collaborative co-parenting or finance management, including reaching agreement on holidays, time with grandparents, school pick up and drop off and agreeing “big ticket” items such as phone usage and school trips . Fiona brings her own empathy and experience as a parent, to address the challenges of parenting (let alone co-parenting) with the separating couple and  encourages creative, practical thinking to  support the  parties in exploring  options for resolution in detail with humour, patience and respect for all around the table.  No problem is too big to face the systematic mediation process.

The mediation process is entirely confidential and “without prejudice”. This means that all conversations that take place during the mediation process, with the mediator and between the parties, cannot be disclosed in court proceedings (without all parties’ consent). This enables the parties to speak openly, explore options for resolution and exchange information that they may not feel inclined to disclose in traditional legal proceedings. When the parties do come to an agreement, Fiona will help them discuss it with their lawyers and draw up a final mediation agreement. This final agreement will be legally binding and can be enforced by a court. In divorce process, courts ordinarily encourage the parties to try mediation, therefore going to mediation before commencing divorce proceedings  will put the parties ahead in what is usually a long and drawn out process.