In Australia, Legal and FDR practitioners have an obligation under the 1975 (Cth) Family Law Act, s 12E(5) and s 12G, must give a person considering separation or divorce, information about services available to help with reconciliation. This information about counselling does not need to be given if it is believed that the partners/couples already have the relevant documents or believe that there is no reasonable possibility of reconciliation.

Relationship mediation is now available for clients/couples/partners who do want to get support to explore whether reconciliation is a genuine possibility.

Relationship mediation is now available in Australia and New Zealand and it is quite different from counselling or therapy. Relationship mediation is a facilitative solution-focused, task orientated and time limited process for people, married or not married, regardless of gender, with or without children, to reconcile and/or enrich their existing relationship if they prefer to avoid a separation.

Objective

The Resolution Institute masterclass series are particularly designed for FDRPs, Legal practitioners and experienced mediators who want to add reconciliation mediation to their practice. The purpose of this type of relationship mediation is for partners/couples, who may want to try to reconcile, to find new ways of communicating, to enhance their emotional responsiveness by being encouraged to talk directly with each other and relating to each other in a way that is meaningful, rewarding and respectful, even if ultimately the outcome is for them to go their separate ways.

The reconciliation mediation process to:

1. Familiarise practitioners with the process to first establish if reconciliation mediation is suitable for those who choose to try to reconcile before deciding the separation is the only option for them.
2. Establish partners’ levels of connectedness, and areas that typically cause friction
3. Understand the differences between mediation that is solution-focused in contrast to relationship counselling or therapy

The transition from premediation to mediation:

1. Review of a facilitative mediation process and the explanation of the purpose at each stage
2. Using How and What Question’s as agenda items to assist in exploring strengths of the relationship, hopes and goals for the future and typical areas that cause tension, anxiety and conflict between them within a multi-generational systems perspective.
3. Use of Facilitation, Techniques and Skills to foster acknowledgement, empathy and manage differences through open communication about needs, fears and interests as base for negotiations.

Complexities in blended families to:

1. Understand Common Underlying Issues and establish the role of people in blended families, in either supporting positive dynamics or creating conflict in a multigenerational family system.
2. Help shift the couple/partners from this other-focused perspective to becoming more self-focused to find a balance between togetherness, independence and autonomy when negotiating “we, me and family time”.
3. When one or both decide that separation is the only option, at least they know now that this is decision was made by self-determination and they can agree to how they will separate and when they can actually separate and how and when to tell the children, family and friends.