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 families will fight about anything –…
DetailsYou’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 nights out drinking. It’s been coming for ages, and you’re…
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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, can make a difference. Everyone…
DetailsSeparation is one of the most difficult periods any family can go through. 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 may not…
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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 it’s pages and pages of dribble,…
DetailsEvery year it rolls around – Fathers Day. It’s a day to thank our Dad for the great job he did in supporting us to be the amazing person we are. But what if you don’t think your Dad did a great job? Or what if you think the job your childrens Dad is doing…
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We all know that going to court is hard. Whether it’s a family matter or a commercial matter, it’s hard. It’s emotionally draining, financially expensive and takes a long time. When it’s a family matter, there’s another consideration too though – the toll it takes on the relationship you have with the other parent of…
DetailsSo … you.ve been invited to mediation or you’ve decided you need to mediate because your lawyer or your friends have told you that’s what you need. But what the heck is mediation and what happens AT mediation? Very simplistically, mediation is a negotiation process of which there are a few different types: Transformative –…
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I had the opportunity recently to spend some time with a friend from my childhood. It has been a difficult year for my friend, and while I was in my hometown I made the time to visit him. His story is not unusual – infact, it is sadly, quite common. He and his wife had…
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