Alternative Dispute Resolution Services
Family and Divorce Mediation
Divorce and family Mediation offers couples the opportunity to resolve their issues in a non-antagonistic way. The Mediator helps couples reach win-win solutions and keep control of the decisions that will alter their lives. The Mediator’s role, as a trained professional, is to help the parties reach fair and equitable settlement that is beneficial to the whole family.
Through Mediation, you can address virtually all
important issues involving divorce and separation:
· Parenting issues, including schedules and child- rearing
· Property division and financial matters
· Child support and spousal maintenance
· Other issues
Child Inclusive Mediation
Child Inclusive Mediation (CIM) is a specialized process in Minnesota that allows children's perspectives to be considered in family mediation, typically involving a child consultant or specialist who gathers information from the child and provides feedback to the parents and mediator. This process is used when parents want to incorporate their child's voice into the decision-making process regarding custody and parenting time arrangements, but the child is not directly involved in the mediation sessions.
Parenting Time Evaluation
A parenting time evaluator is a professional appointed by the court to assess a child's best interests in custody and parenting time disputes. They gather information through interviews, observations, and consultations with relevant parties to make recommendations to the court. While not legally binding, the court often relies heavily on these recommendations.
Brief Focused
Assessments
Comprehensive Custody and Parenting Time Evaluation
Social Early Neutral Evaluation
The court often seeks input and recommendations from a neutral evaluator to resolve identified issues. A Brief Focused Assessment (BFA) is commonly used for families where there is a very specific issue that may not require a comprehensive custody or parenting time evaluation. An order from the court identifies the issues to be addressed and appoints a neutral evaluator. The court order must direct the evaluator to address a specific, narrowly defined question. BFAs can be useful for assessing family dynamics, determining how to re-establish an interrupted parent-child relationship, and assessing a child’s wishes in relation to parenting time.
Although we believe that parents are in the best position to make decisions about their children, we understand that they sometimes request the opinion of a Custody Evaluator. We respect the confidence that parents place in us to help with such an important decision. We believe that a Custody Evaluation should be a “settlement tool.” We make every effort to be thorough in our evaluations and to make recommendations that
parents and attorneys understand and can use as a basis for negotiations.
Custody Evaluations typically include:
· Meeting with both parents
· At least three individual meetings with each parent
· Interview with children
· Home visits
· Psychological evaluations
· Questionnaires
' Collateral contacts (professional and personal)
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Social Early Neutral Evaluation (SENE) is a confidential, voluntary evaluative process designed to facilitate prompt dispute resolution in custody and parenting time matters. Feedback is provided to parties and their attorneys based on case presentations and a limited amount of information gathering. The SENE process is conducted by a gender balanced team (one male, one female) ; one is an attorney and the other is a mental health professional. SENE is a cost effective alternative to custody evaluation, and is typically completed within one month .
Parenting Consulting
Parenting Consultants may serve as facilitators, coaches, and/or arbitrators. Our first effort is always to help
parents reach as many agreements as possible through facilitation of their negotiations. As coaches, we will
advise and assist parents, together and separately, to help them with their negotiation styles and with specific
parenting issues. Finally, if impasses are reached, we act as arbitrators and make decisions relative to the issues. It is our hope that parents will learn and grow from this process and ultimately function as effective partners in parenting.
Issues that are typically addressed in Parenting Consulting include:
· Schedules for children
· Child care and day care
· Education options
· Extra-curricular activities
· Transitions of children between households
· Transportation
· Communication between parents
Parent Coaching
Although we are working with the parent individually, this Parenting Coach will always be mindful of the larger family system that is involved. We work with our clients to help them understand the perspectives of their children and the other parent and to develop strategies that are effective for everyone. A Parenting Coach works with a parent to assist with a wide range of issues.
Some of the more common concerns brought to a Parenting Coach include:
· More effective communication
between parents
· Age– and developmentally appropriate schedules for children
· Helping children with transitions between households
· Setting limits and consequences with children
· Guidance through a custody evaluation
· Accommodation to Court Orders and/or custody recommendations
Attorney Work Product
In custody cases, attorney work product refers to materials prepared by an attorney in anticipation of litigation, which are shielded from discovery by the opposing party. This protection extends to documents, tangible things, and even an attorney's mental impressions, opinions, and legal theories related to the case. The purpose is to allow attorneys to develop strategies and legal theories without fear of premature disclosure to the other side.
Expert Witness
In child custody cases, expert witnesses provide specialized knowledge to help courts make informed decisions, particularly when dealing with complex issues like child development, mental health, or parental fitness. These experts, often psychologists, psychiatrists, or social workers, offer objective assessments and opinions based on their professional expertise to guide the court in determining the child's best interests.