The Value of the Visual in Mediation
When I first met Michael Hunt nearly 30 years ago, I was very impressed by his focus on the visual in mediation. He had white boards, butchers paper and many different coloured textas, and he used these very skillfully to support his role as a facilitative mediator. He has since then taken this passion into…
Good Communication When Working Remotely
This is an issue that we are all focused on at present! I was very lucky recently to be able to discuss this important topic with my great friend and colleague Marlene Ebejer. She is a leader in the family dispute resolution field, and it was a great privilege to have this discussion with her.…
The Impact of Family Violence on Children
The current world is one characterised by considerable uncertainty and anxiety. This can be an opportunity to step outside our comfort zones and develop new coping strategies for personal growth and resilience. But it can also be a time when relationship difficulties can become overwhelming and stress of this masks our ability to manage this…
The Value of a Multidisciplinary Approach
I am honoured to be able to talk about this crucial topic with Marguerite Picard! Marguerite has devoted her work for many years now to perfecting a team approach to managing family separation in a respectful, pragmatic and professional manner. There is no-one better to talk about how families can benefit from this way of…
Making social media work for your business
I am very privileged to have Melbourne’s leading expert on marketing and social media, Iolanthe Gabrie, sharing breakfast and her wisdom with me on Wednesday 23 October, 2019. Connect with us live on FaceBook from 8.00 am to find out about the benefits of social media, when it is appropriate, what platform to use, how…
“See what you made me do” Insights into Family Violence
Join me and psychologist Ena Shaw to discuss insights regarding family violence in the context of the current best seller “See what you made me do” by Jess Hill. This is an amazing book that gives great insight into the roles of both victim and perpetrator, and how we as professionals working in this area…
The humane approach to assisting separated families.
Separation is a time of chaos for the families that approach us for professional assistance. They seek understanding, information and a clear pathway through this chaos to a place of greater certainty and peace. At this point, a family may need time, therapy and emotional support in order to be able to grapple with…
Dealing with Vicarious Trauma
The experts agree that it is normal to be affected by our work. Where this requires us to engage empathetically on a repeated basis with those who are traumatised, then we must be mindful of our exposure to vicarious trauma. Empathy triggers our mirror neurone network so that we mimic those we are working with.…
The obligations of professionals to promote the common good
The notion of a “Social Contract” is one that has evolved through time in the work of various philosophers-John Stuart Mill, Hobbs, Locke, Rousseau and more recently the work of Rawls. At the recent AFCC Conference, Professor Robinson used this notion to present some fascinating ideas about where we as professionals fit into this “social…
The Danger of the Single Story
Everyone has their own unique narrative. Their upbringing, their beliefs, their life experience, all combine to determine how they look at the world and what their narrative looks like. Intact families can work collaboratively even though each member has a very different narrative, because they are working towards the same goal-the wellbeing of their family.…