Mother’s Day Mother’s Day is a special day for Mums everywhere. It’s an opportunity to get presents, brekkie in bed and a day together doing something fun with the kids. It’s also a time to foster in children the attributes of generosity and gratefulness. It’s a time to acknowledge everything mothers do. An occasion…
Who’s problem is it anyway? Early school aged children are invited to lots of birthday parties. It’s a time when firm friendships have not yet been made and often the entire class is invited to celebrate this exciting milestone. Whether it’s an expensive play centre event, a lavish party or a low-key backyard gathering,…
What is a Family Report? Section 62G(2) of the Family Law Act (1975) provides for the court to direct a family consultant to prepare a family report on matters the court deems relevant. But what does this mean? A Family Report is a document prepared by a court appointed psychologist or social worker (usually one…
How much does mediation cost? Just about every time someone contacts me for mediation, their first question is “how much will it cost?”. Well, to start, there’s the obvious – time and money. How much money and time you need to spend will depend on which mediator you choose. Time It costs you as…
The most important aspect of our lives is our relationships What do you do when you’re ready to introduce your children to your new partner? This is not a ‘one-fix-all’ type of answer. It’s multi-faceted and depends on you, your children, your new partner and their children. Somewhere to start: Be empathetic – consider your…
What is a Contravention Application? Something I’m often asked, is “how do CONTRAVENTION Applications work?”. The families I support are often in the midst of arguments, tantrums, stand-off’s and sometimes parental alienation. Many families see this co-parenting stuff as a high stakes game. It’s all about competing, comparison, owndership, one-up-manship, tit-for-tat and pick-up-your-game. Some…
Things To Do BEFORE You leave the Family Home You’ve decided to separate. You’ve been sleeping in different places – the lounge, the spare room, in bed with the kids – but the pin has been pulled. There’s no going back, it’s been decided. You’re separating. There’s been crying and shouting, door slamming and…
Just Separate? What Now? 1. Breathe This might seem logical, after all we need oxygen to survive, but sometimes we can get so caught up in the emotion and the stress, that just taking a moment to breathe in deeply, hold it for a couple of seconds with your eyes closed, and breathing out,…
Separation One of the most difficult periods any family can go through is separation. Even if ending the relationship was your idea, you might still experience fear, anxiety, uncertainty and sadness (to name a few). 1. Don’t assume This might seem logical, but this is an emotional time for everyone and your now ex-partner…
The trouble with an OVER communicator Okay, so you’re blessed to have an ex-partner who loves words (or the sound of their own voice). They write you essays, monologues, five times a day. Once they were love letters that you admired. Their ability to put words together, to form pictures and stories amazed you. Now…