Advice and Guidance for Families
Who Gets the Dog? Why Pet Custody Shouldn’t Be a Fight
In the UK, pets are still treated as property in divorce – but a new campaign aims to change that. This blog explores how family mediation can help separating couples reach fair, compassionate agreements over pet custody, and what potential legal reforms could mean for families and their animals.
Rebuilding a Relationship With Your Child After Divorce: A Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to rebuild a relationship with your child after divorce. This step-by-step guide offers practical advice for restoring trust and fostering meaningful connections.
The Impact of Divorce and Separation on Male Suicide
Explore how divorce and family separation affect men’s mental health and increase suicide risk. Learn about key risk factors, emotional challenges, and support resources for those facing relationship breakdowns.
How to Prapare For Your First Mediation Session:
Prepare effectively for your first mediation session with tips on managing anxiety, understanding the mediation process, and anticipating the behavior of the other party.
Navigating Non-Court Dispute Resolution (NCDR) Options:
Discover the various non-court dispute resolution (NCDR) options available for family cases, including mediation, collaborative law, arbitration, and more. Learn about the qualifications required for practitioners, costs involved, and the availability of legal aid to help you make informed decisions.
Mental Health and the Impact of Separation:
Learn about the significant impact of separation and divorce on mental health. Explore emotional and psychological effects, stress management techniques, and support systems. Insights from MindWell Health Solutions.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS): Strengthening Family Foundations and Reducing Child Poverty
This insightful blog discusses the Child Maintenance Service's impact on child poverty, its operational challenges, and how family mediation can complement and enhance the effectiveness of CMS.
Understanding the Emotional Struggle of Being Referred Back to Mediation
Exploring the complex emotional dynamics and challenges that individuals face when referred back to mediation, and providing insights on how to navigate this process with resilience.
Co-Parenting and School Selection
Ensuring your child receives a quality education can be challenging, especially when you and your child's other parent disagree on how to approach the issue of school selection.
House Valuations: Exploring the Pros and Cons of Different Approaches
The article explores the benefits and drawbacks of professional appraisals, online valuation tools, and real estate agents, providing valuable insights to help individuals make informed decisions about their property division and asset distribution during the mediation process.
The Complexity of Suitability in Family Mediation: Understanding Mediator Constraints
Explore the complexities surrounding suitability assessments in family mediation and the limitations faced by mediators in providing explicit explanations. Understand the importance of confidentiality and adherence to the Family Mediation Council (FMC) standards in England.
How to Pick a Routine for Your Family
Creating a parenting schedule is crucial when co-parenting. Learn about different parenting time rotations like the biweekly routine and 2-2-3 routine, as well as non-50/50 rotations. Communication is key when crafting a routine that caters to your children's needs.
How a Professional Counselor Can Help You Through Separation or Divorce
Discover how a professional counselor can help you navigate the emotional and practical challenges of separation or divorce. Learn how they can provide an objective perspective, normalize feelings, and help you communicate effectively with your children and partner
Resolving Issues of Children's Passports through Family Mediation
Learn about the issues surrounding children's passports and how family mediation can help parents in resolving disputes and reaching agreements on the child's passport and travel arrangements. Family mediation is a less formal and less expensive alternative to going to court and can help to maintain the relationship between the parents while resolving disputes.
Hybrid Mediator: The Mediation Revolution in Family Disputes
Discover the significance of non-court dispute resolution in high net worth family disputes through the landmark case of Re X. Learn about Belinda Jones and Highbridge Mediation's role in navigating complex legal proceedings with expertise and compassion.
Navigating Property Rights: A Guide for Cohabiting Couples During Separation
Explore key legal considerations for cohabiting couples during separation, including property rights and child provisions under TOLATA and the Children Act. Get essential advice on managing assets and responsibilities amicably.
Controlling and Coercive Behaviour
Clients often raise issues of control or perceived negative behaviour within a relationship. This control can at times be very minor but for many, it can include very significant levels of control and accompanying domestic physical abuse. The blog explores how to spot this behaviour and highlights things to do to support yourself.
Parental Alienation
Despite parents’ best efforts, children often will become aware of the conflict between mum and dad, or between same-sex parents. This can lead a child to take sides and feel angry with one parent. This is not uncommon. while most parents see that this is not helpful to their child relationships can be mended and children can be helped to adapt to a new family dynamic. Sometimes however the behaviour can be targeted and lead to parental alienation.
Recognising a Narcissist
It is estimated that narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) will feature in more than 30% of the cases we see as mediators. Because of this, it is important that you, as an ex-partner/co-parent, as well as us mediators, know what to look out for when dealing with a narcissist.
Grandparents, grandchildren and mediation
When parents separate, family members can be drawn into conflict, which may result in grandparents and extended family members being unable to see the children. However in these cases agreements can be made through mediation.
Conflict, Divorce and Children
As a former primary school teacher our mediator Rebecca has seen first-hand the effects of divorce and separation on children. This blog explores why this may be the case and how mediation can help.
‘Divorce Day’ the Survival Guide
Each year the first Monday back to work after Christmas results in a peak in people looking to start divorce proceedings. TFMT has created a survival guide for those who a struggling with separation at the beginning of the year.
When Does Communication Become ‘Too Much Of A Good Thing’?
Over-sharing information through social media can become toxic. This blog looks into how written words can lead to misunderstandings, and how mediation can help set the ground rules for effective communication.
Children over Christmas
For the children of separated parents, Christmas is a time when conflict has the potential to escalate. This blog provides advice over the five day Christmas Covid plan and includes a few considerations to help smooth over some of the challenges.
Narcissism in the Family
Having a narcissistic ex-partner is an extremely challenging experience, and one that is often made even harder when children are involved. This blog explains how narcissistic parents can impact the lives and mental health of children and how you, as a co-parent, can limit the negative effects of this.
Understanding the Role of Post Agreement Mediation
Post Agreement Mediators (PAM) aim to foster a "co-parenting alliance" by enhancing communication and eliminating destructive behavioral patterns. This shift in focus places the child at the center of parents' thoughts, prioritizing their well-being over conflict.
How Parental Co-Ordination Can Help your Family?
Parental Co-Ordination aims to create a positive co-parent relationship where decisions can be made amicably, and children are at the centre of your thoughts. Because of this, Parental Co-Ordination is able to have long lasting positive effects on you and your children alike.