How to tell the children about your separation
Telling your children that their parents intend to separate will be one of the hardest and most difficult conversations you may ever have! Your children love you both and wish to be able to share this love and your support in everything that they do. Their strongest held wish will be that the two…
What is Family Dispute Resolution (FDR)?
Process FDR is a process that involves a facilitator or registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) who assists separated parties to sort out the issues that arise from their separation. These may include parenting arrangements, property settlement, financial issues, interim or short term arrangements, trial arrangements, or long term plans. The FDRP provides…
Hazards and Outrage in Conflict Management
Conflict can bring with it a time of crisis and trauma, as well as an opportunity for growth and development. Many professionals dealing in the vast area of communication and conflict management, have developed ways of looking at conflict to assist in this task. Peter Sandman is one such expert who has an interesting way…
What you can expect of your lawyer in Family Dispute Resolution
Lawyers perform an important role in Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) yet many participants are unsure as to what to expect from their lawyer in this process. Good team work between you and your lawyer in FDR can make a crucial difference in ensuring that this is a constructive, empowering and respectful process, that achieves the…
Insights from the High Court for Assessment and Intake.
I recently revisited the recent High Court decision of Thorne v Kennedy[i]. Although this case is in the context of Binding Financial Agreements (BFAs) I was struck by the importance of many of the comments made by the High Court for professionals assisting in the resolution of family disputes. There is no doubt in…
The Dry by Jane Harper
This is the debut novel of local author Jane Harper. It very deservingly was awarded The Indie Book of the Year in 2017. A “who dun it” set in country Victoria in a time of extreme drought. Beautifully written, maintaining a constant momentum that makes it very easy to read, with interesting twists and turns…
The Conversation Series 4: Grief, Loss and Healing in Family Disputes
Join me in the fourth instalment of our Conversation Series to explore this important but oft neglected topic in family disputes. I am delighted to have this discussion with Jodie Grant, an extremely experienced Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and Restorative Justice Practitioner. Jodie has some great ideas and tips in this area and we are…
Australian Dispute Resolution Advisory Council
I am delighted to announce that I am now a member of ADRAC. This is a voluntary, unaligned, independent council of 11 individuals. Our Charter is to provide thought leadership in exploring, researching and promoting better Dispute Resolution in all areas of Australian life. We endeavour to provide a voice to government for the ADR…
The importance of the separation process and the impact on high conflict people
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross first published her text “On Death and Dying” in 1970. This was based on her research and experiences with dying patients. In her preface she describes her book as “an account of a new and challenging opportunity to refocus on the patient as a human being, to include him in dialogues, to learn…
Quietening the Lizard Brain-tips for intake
As FDRPs and professionals working with family disputes, we come to recognize those clients who are stuck in the reptilian part of the brain, where fight, flight and freeze are the automatic responses. Neuroscience tells us that working with clients in this state is extremely difficult, and rational thinking and problem solving are unrealistic expectations.…