Divorce and Family Mediation
Sessions available by phone, house-calls and in-person.
Contact us for your free initial phone consultation:
518.668.4398
Contact us for your free initial phone consultation:
518.668.4398
Resolve Your Divorce and Family Issues Peacefully
Imagine if you could...
- Resolve your conflict peacefully?
- Work things out in a dignified, respectful manner, and be heard?
- Find fair and workable solutions tailored to your family's needs without third party ruling?
- Secure the smoothest possible transition for your children and family?
- Build a comfortable co-parenting relationship with your former partner?
- Manage outside influence and confusing, although well-meant advice?
- Eliminate third-party decisions about you and your chidren's fate?
- Enjoy financial, mental, and emotional clarity?
- Avoid a hostile, lengthy, and costly court process?
- Scroll down to learn more about my mediation services and programs and see how you can achieve all this and more.
Mediation and Relationship Coaching
The Collaborative Path to Fair and Workable Agreements
As founder and director of On~Hudson Mediation Center, Glens Falls, New York, I offer a variety of mediation and relationship coaching programs for couples and families with most of my expertise in separation, divorce, family, and child-related matters.
Mediation is a confidential process in which people work together with the help of a neutral mediator to resolve disputes, conflicts, or simply co-create fair, balanced, workable agreements, settlements, or guidelines. - Ideal for those who wish to settle issues amicably and peacefully, without directives from outside parties. There is no placement of fault. It is a future-oriented process, in which everyone is considered to be the expert on how their matter could best be settled.
As your mediator, my role is to facilitate communication of everyone's needs and viewpoints, help parties hear and understand each other, so you can arrive at agreements that are fair, finely tailored to your family's long term needs, and easy for all to comply with.
I have witnessed much improvement of communication and healing of relationships occur for my clients as they navigate through the mediation process.
Below are examples of family matters I mediate and coach:
Mediation is a confidential process in which people work together with the help of a neutral mediator to resolve disputes, conflicts, or simply co-create fair, balanced, workable agreements, settlements, or guidelines. - Ideal for those who wish to settle issues amicably and peacefully, without directives from outside parties. There is no placement of fault. It is a future-oriented process, in which everyone is considered to be the expert on how their matter could best be settled.
As your mediator, my role is to facilitate communication of everyone's needs and viewpoints, help parties hear and understand each other, so you can arrive at agreements that are fair, finely tailored to your family's long term needs, and easy for all to comply with.
I have witnessed much improvement of communication and healing of relationships occur for my clients as they navigate through the mediation process.
Below are examples of family matters I mediate and coach:
Divorce and Separation
Separation and divorce mediation allows you and your spouse or partner to keep matters in your own hands and jointly decide on the future structure of your family's finances and living arrangements. It offers an alternative to the adversarial court process and the need for outside parties to make decisions for you.
In mediation you are able to express your viewpoints and needs and be heard so you and your partner or spouse, with the help of the mediator, can identify the solutions that will best serve your family.
The life-changing event of separation or divorce is typically loaded with emotion. You will find that I am deeply sensitive to any emotional tension you may be experiencing as part of your process. It is often one partner who takes the initiative to end a marriage. Mediation helps bring you closer to the same page, so the sense of loss is diminished, and often transformed into a clearer vision of future potential.
Mediation, also helps lay a healthy foundation for your future relationship, especially if you are going to co-parent under separate roofs. The process has helped ease the vast majority of my clients' transition.
With a great deal of sensitivity we work out the following topics, which need to be covered in your separation agreement or divorce settlement: Parenting plan (custody and visitation) for your children; child support; spousal support; division of assets and liabilities; health, life, and other insurance; tax consequences; - along with anything else you may find important to outline in your agreement, which can be as detailed as you wish.
To ensure the financial, emotional, and general well-being of you and your children for the longest term possible, you may expect thorough exploration of all topics and issues that arise.
Keep in mind that as your mediator I will not give you any advice, nor counsel you. It is always recommended that you consult with attorneys to learn about your legal rights and responsibilities.
Once all the terms of your separation or divorce have been worked out, I can either refer you to a neutral attorney who can scribe and file your agreement with your local court, or you can use an attorney of your choice, in which case I strongly recommend that you are both represented. In either case, you are encouraged to submit your separation or divorce agreement for review by separate attorneys before you sign it and to consult with attorneys to be informed of your legal rights and responsibilities.
In mediation you are able to express your viewpoints and needs and be heard so you and your partner or spouse, with the help of the mediator, can identify the solutions that will best serve your family.
The life-changing event of separation or divorce is typically loaded with emotion. You will find that I am deeply sensitive to any emotional tension you may be experiencing as part of your process. It is often one partner who takes the initiative to end a marriage. Mediation helps bring you closer to the same page, so the sense of loss is diminished, and often transformed into a clearer vision of future potential.
Mediation, also helps lay a healthy foundation for your future relationship, especially if you are going to co-parent under separate roofs. The process has helped ease the vast majority of my clients' transition.
With a great deal of sensitivity we work out the following topics, which need to be covered in your separation agreement or divorce settlement: Parenting plan (custody and visitation) for your children; child support; spousal support; division of assets and liabilities; health, life, and other insurance; tax consequences; - along with anything else you may find important to outline in your agreement, which can be as detailed as you wish.
To ensure the financial, emotional, and general well-being of you and your children for the longest term possible, you may expect thorough exploration of all topics and issues that arise.
Keep in mind that as your mediator I will not give you any advice, nor counsel you. It is always recommended that you consult with attorneys to learn about your legal rights and responsibilities.
Once all the terms of your separation or divorce have been worked out, I can either refer you to a neutral attorney who can scribe and file your agreement with your local court, or you can use an attorney of your choice, in which case I strongly recommend that you are both represented. In either case, you are encouraged to submit your separation or divorce agreement for review by separate attorneys before you sign it and to consult with attorneys to be informed of your legal rights and responsibilities.
Parenting, Child Custody, Child Support
As your children grow their needs change, and so may yours and those of your co-parent. It may be time to revisit and rework the agreement you created concerning your parenting, your time-sharing, living arrangements or financing of your children's needs and activities.
If you were not legally married, but want to have agreements legalized and filed in court concerning your children, you may work these out in mediation.
To learn more, read about separation and divorce above.
If you were not legally married, but want to have agreements legalized and filed in court concerning your children, you may work these out in mediation.
To learn more, read about separation and divorce above.
Relationship Coaching and Marital Mediation
We go through many cycles in life. We are exposed to so much stimulation during the course of any long term relationship that it is unlikely that two individuals will stay on the same path throughout the journey.
Are you and your partner or spouse are drifting apart? In conflict? Does it feel like your relationship is dying?
If you and your partner or spouse both have a genuine desire to work out your relationship, the damage is not irreparable. In fact, your current crisis offers an astounding opportunity to change course and shift gears so you can journey on into greener pastures.
My relationship coaching or mediation programs offer a co-creative and proactive process with no assignment of fault. You will learn how you can recharge your relationship to fit both of your needs and experience unimagined happiness and peace.
Are you and your partner or spouse are drifting apart? In conflict? Does it feel like your relationship is dying?
If you and your partner or spouse both have a genuine desire to work out your relationship, the damage is not irreparable. In fact, your current crisis offers an astounding opportunity to change course and shift gears so you can journey on into greener pastures.
My relationship coaching or mediation programs offer a co-creative and proactive process with no assignment of fault. You will learn how you can recharge your relationship to fit both of your needs and experience unimagined happiness and peace.
Parents and Teenagers
Mediation lends itself particularly well to resolving those almost inevitable conflicts that start occurring when kids develop a mind and voice of their own, seeking increased autonomy, and parents are challenged with just how much to loosen the reins.
In the neutral setting of mediation you will learn to hear each other. You will come to understand each other's wishes and needs. You can develop mutually agreed plans that address all your concerns about safety, freedom, choices, decision-making, and any other topics that are important to you.
In the neutral setting of mediation you will learn to hear each other. You will come to understand each other's wishes and needs. You can develop mutually agreed plans that address all your concerns about safety, freedom, choices, decision-making, and any other topics that are important to you.
Before You Get Married
Sorry to bother you at this early, blissful stage of your committed relationship... You are probably busy planning this perhaps most important event of your life.
Have you and your partner taken some time to really talk about your long term expectations of your marriage?
It may be hard to imagine that issues can occur and turn into conflict, but, sadly, hurt expectations and a lack of communication have been the cause of the breakups of most of the hundreds of divorcing couples with whom I have worked.
Premarital coaching or mediation will help you explore and address all your expectations and needs before they turn into insurmountable issues. You will learn to address and resolve conflicts as they pop up down the road. You will be able to set out on the blissful journey your marriage is intended to be.
Have you and your partner taken some time to really talk about your long term expectations of your marriage?
It may be hard to imagine that issues can occur and turn into conflict, but, sadly, hurt expectations and a lack of communication have been the cause of the breakups of most of the hundreds of divorcing couples with whom I have worked.
Premarital coaching or mediation will help you explore and address all your expectations and needs before they turn into insurmountable issues. You will learn to address and resolve conflicts as they pop up down the road. You will be able to set out on the blissful journey your marriage is intended to be.
Death of Loved Ones - Contested Wills
Loss is usually and naturally followed by pain, discomfort and even conflict.
The tearing down of the structure that the deceased person for friend provides, however, also offers a natural opportunity to change perspective and dynamics.
I have worked with a number of families in disagreement about the final or long-term wishes of deceased family member, and witnessed, with the help of mediation, not only them coming to agreement about the contested estate, but also resolution of contentious family issues and dynamics.
The tearing down of the structure that the deceased person for friend provides, however, also offers a natural opportunity to change perspective and dynamics.
I have worked with a number of families in disagreement about the final or long-term wishes of deceased family member, and witnessed, with the help of mediation, not only them coming to agreement about the contested estate, but also resolution of contentious family issues and dynamics.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,there is a field. I'll meet you there.”
~ Rumi ~
~ Rumi ~