Parenting Plans (including Custody and Visitation) Decision Making (sometimes known as “Legal Custody“) The person or pair of people who have legal custody have the right to make the major decisions about raising and caring for a child. Major decisions include:...
Some Lessons Learned in Family Mediation baby Little stories can be fun and educational. Working with a different mediator (not a member of our group), one couple had signed an agreement with a detailed schedule describing when their child would...
Our Mission sisters Colin Family Mediation Group (CFMG) has seven certified, professional family mediators ready to help families in Virginia resolve disagreements and stay out of court. Our primary mission is to help family members solve problems. We can help...
Your Child’s Graduation After a Divorce My daughter inspired this article. Her father and I separated when she was just 2 1/2 years old. She cannot remember a time when her family was just one family in one house. When...
Co-Parenting With Your Ex, Mindfully For many separated, divorced, or never-married parents, this is not easy. Ellen Kellner, author of The Pro-Child Way®: Parenting with an Ex, focuses on our greater spiritual existence and how it applies to fostering what all...
Ten More Co-Parenting Tips (part 5 of 5) by Guest Author Elinor Robin, Ph.D. with editing by Virginia L Colin, Ph.D. girl in soccer game 41. Children of any age may be hesitant to spend time with a parent...
Why I Became a Family Mediator by Virginia L Colin, Ph.D. The short version? It’s a calling. Here is the longer version: My first clue about what I should be doing came late in the 1990′s, when I learned...
Advantages of Mediation When Divorcing handshake In many cases, you can save thousands of dollars by having a mediator help you and your former partner resolve as much as possible in mediation. A mediator’s area of expertise is facilitating communication...
Recommendations for Divorce Reform sisters Many people still think divorce must be handled through attorneys and litigation. A large number of experts disagree. Deborah Moskovitch recently summarized some of their recommendations in a Huffington Post article. Here, with Deborah’s permission,...
How to Lose Custody of Your Child a child of divorce This is easy to do. If you love your child, you may want to do the opposite of things on this list. Do not attend court hearings about custody...