What is Mediation?

 

Family Mediation is:

  • Voluntary and confidential.

  • An alternative to court proceedings for solving issues relating to separation, finance, and parenting arrangements.

  • A way of helping you reach agreements which take account of all your needs, concerns, and interests, not just the legal process.

  • A process by which you can make decisions about your own and your children’s future with the help of an impartial third party.

  • Mediation provides an opportunity to hear and be heard.  Often people in conflict, once heard, find their voice to say what they really need.

  • Increasingly expected of you before you consider issuing court proceedings and often raised throughout the court process itself.

On top of that, it is generally a much affordable and faster process than the courts can offer!

 

Family Mediation is not:

  • Counselling or therapy.

  • About reconciliation.

  • A substitute for legal advice.

  • A legally binding process (although binding court orders are commonly made by agreement between the parties following mediation by agreement for finances) .

  • The right process for everyone.

 

How does Family Mediation work?

A convenient appointment time will be made for the first joint session

Currently, I am working via Zoom, but as circumstances change there will be the option to sit around a table to work together face to face.

First, you will each come separately to a meeting to find out more about the process and to decide if mediation might be right for you (Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting – MIAM).

If you both decide to go ahead with mediation, a convenient appointment time will be made for the first joint session. Each session usually lasts around 60 minutes and on average the process takes between 3 and 5 sessions.

During the first session, I help you to set an agenda for what you both want to achieve and start to explore the options.

In subsequent sessions, we will work through your agenda to reach a settlement.


The fee for mediation is paid for in advance of each session. Payments can be made by bank transfer via this website (see the section on fees)