The “Best Interests” of the Neurodivergent Child
The best interests of the child is the principle Australian family dispute resolution is built around. It’s the test parenting arrangements have to satisfy and the standard we keep coming back to in every matter involving kids. The Family Law Act s 60CC factors to
Who Are You Reporting To? Confidentiality in Employer-Referred Conflict Coaching
The setup most of us know Most workplace conflict coaching referrals follow a familiar pattern. An HR manager or other employer representative contacts you. They have two employees who can’t work together, and they want something to change. They arrange coaching, possibly with mediation to
The Skills We Teach in Conflict Resolution, Women Are Told to Unlearn by Judith Rafferty & Sabine Roberts
My friend Sabine, a senior leader in a corporate organisation, recently told me about a moment that a female colleague of hers had experienced at work, a moment that many women in leadership will recognise. Her colleague, a top leader at another corporate organisation, had
BATNA or Bad Faith? When a party to a workplace mediation tells you they are already looking for another job
You are doing an intake with one of the parties to a workplace mediation. Somewhere in the conversation they tell you, almost as an aside, that they are already looking for other roles. They have mentally checked out. They are hoping that by the time
When Parents Disagree About Neurodivergence Assessment: What Mediators Need to Understand
When parents come to mediation disagreeing about whether their child should be assessed for neurodivergence, or whether an existing diagnosis is valid, the presenting issue rarely captures what’s actually happening. On the surface, it looks like a healthcare dispute. Two adults disagree about a medical
The Inside Job: What No One Tells You About Being an In-House Mediator
Interest in workplace mediation has grown sharply in recent years. It is not surprising that some larger organisations are looking to develop this capability in-house. What is less often discussed is how much harder it is to do well than it looks. There is a