April 2018 Question of the Month My spouse and I have filed for divorce. We have two children. One child is age 17 with special needs. Everyone keeps telling us that we need a special needs trust and guardianship for our child, but I don’t know what that means. I am also concerned that not [...]
Active listening is a key, two-phase strategy used by trained Mediators. Between family members, active listening is more than just hearing and repeating (“I heard you say…Did I understand you correctly?”). Phase 2 of active listening is Acknowledging. What does Acknowledging mean? You may not like everything you heard from your parent, spouse, former spouse, or [...]
This quote from Stephen R. Covey may describe your family: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change) For head-to-head family conflict, here is a mediation strategy from “Mom Always Liked You Best”: The [...]
“I’m right, you’re wrong.” Whether you’ve said this out loud to a spouse, children, senior parents, siblings, or just thought it, family conflict can become a part of our personal lives. Often, when conflict escalates, tempers flare, people take sides, lawsuits are filed, costly legal fees chip away at savings, and family relations can be [...]