When couples who are going through a separation come to talk about how their children will spend their time for the first Christmas (or in fact any other special day or celebration) it can be a tough ask. It’s a special day and it’s likely you have always spent it with your children. So facing the thought of what to do can mean that one of you won’t see your children on this special day. This is tough and something…
It has never been more apparent than now that we all must be more aware of our finances writes Emma Ingham, and our financial situation. The cost-of-living crisis that is so widely spoken about, and is affecting so many, is incredibly worrying. For those who are going through a divorce or separation, times that worry by about, well, a million. That is why, when discussing a financial settlement in mediation, your mediator will help you look at your finances in…
Sometimes for a variety of reasons one parent doesn’t see their child for an extended period of time after a separation and this can be a tough situation for that parent and for the child. The temptation is to want to pick up the relationship where you left it but your child may not feel comfortable with this. So I’m really pleased to introduce this guest blog by Mette Theilmann. Mette is an experienced and qualified parent & family life…
Somewhat incredibly LKW Family Mediation turned 10 on 1st July writes founder of the mediation practice, Louisa Whitney. One of my negative qualities is that all too often I hone in on the things I haven’t done rather than taking in the view of the things I have done. I’ve been making a concerted effort to change that so looking back over the last 10 years seemed to be an important thing to do. Before I became a family mediator…
How can family mediation help with who gets the dog? Family Mediation is known for supporting couples with financial settlements writes Michelle Rumsey and childcare arrangements. As family mediators our roles are not isolated to only financial and children, we incorporate a wide range of other areas. One area in particular that has increased over the years is the family dog and ‘Who gets the dog?’. Dogs are part of the family and may people find the way the court…
I’d like to have a conversation about something that has been on my mind for a while writes our founder, Louisa Whitney. Before I start I want to heavily caveat this post. I’m going to be talking about family roles that are quite traditional in this post. Some may see them as gender stereotypes and justifiably so. This is not the norm for all families – far from it. In mediation we see families with the roles I’m going to…
If you work in family law, or follow it closely as a result of going through a separation, or having experienced a separation, then it can’t have escaped your notice that there has been much talk about a government consultation on mediation. The driving force behind the consultation is to encourage more people to access early help via mediation following a separation so that they are hopefully diverted away from the court system which is currently struggling with staff and…
Family Mediation or Couple Therapy is the question asked by family mediator, Michelle Rumsey here at LKW Family Mediation? In the initial stages of Family Mediation, we are often asked the question ‘I am not sure if I need family mediation or couple therapy?’. What is the difference? Couples engage in therapy for many different reasons. They may decide they cannot overcome the challenges in the relationship on their own and would like couples therapy to help them find a…
One of the questions that crops up regularly in conversations with separating parents – both in mediation and outside the process – is the topic of introducing new partners. This can be a tricky subject and it’s challenging to balance the needs of the different people involved. Here are 10 top tips for anyone wanting support and guidance on managing this issue in the most loving and constructive way possible. If you’re a separated parent then you need to be…
Louisa Whitney writes: You might have seen me talking on social media about the 4 Cs of effective communication and I thought it would help to write a blog about them in more detail. They are the four fundamental pillars of communication. They’re fundamental because as with table legs you need all the legs for the table to stand securely and not fall over. The same is true of good and productive communication. Before I explain more I just wanted…
