Know your starting point.
Ask your own lawyer about your rights, responsibilities, options, necessary disclosure and whether the proposed process suits your circumstances.
← Back to homeFacilitative mediation.
THE CONSIDERED APPROACH
Facilitative mediation.
Informed decisions.
We help participants identify concerns, explore options and work toward their own decisions. The mediator does not decide who is right, impose a settlement or provide legal advice. One or both parties may have their own lawyer assist.
BEFORE THE SESSION
Begin with preparation.
We meet privately with participants to understand the dispute, check for conflicts of interest, assess suitability and identify communication or accessibility needs. We discuss documents, participants, settlement authority, fees and the proposed format before the session is arranged.
INITIAL INTAKE & SAFETY
Prepare for a process that fits.
A separate first conversation.
Before a joint session, we meet separately with each participant. We discuss the issues, important dates, existing orders, legal assistance, accessibility needs and whether each person can take part freely. The first website enquiry is not the confidential intake interview.
Safety and suitability screening.
Private screening considers concerns such as fear, threats, coercion, monitoring, pressure and unequal access to information. It helps assess whether mediation is appropriate and what arrangements may be needed. Screening continues as circumstances change; it is not a guarantee of safety.
Privacy in remote sessions.
Discuss a safe contact method, a private space, who may be present, how to ask for a break and what happens if the connection fails. Recording and information-sharing arrangements need to be agreed before the session. Separate online rooms do not, by themselves, resolve safety concerns.
Room to pause or choose another route.
A process may need shorter sessions, separate meetings, an interpreter, legal advice or other support. Some circumstances call for postponement, another service or urgent assistance. Do not send sensitive records through an ordinary first enquiry.
Background reading: Justice Canada’s HELP toolkit for family law legal advisers ↗. This professional resource is not a self-screening test.
- 01
Agree on how we will work.
Clarify the mediator’s role, the scope of the discussion, confidentiality and its limits, and expectations for respectful participation. Discuss breaks, private conversations and how information may be shared.
“What would help you participate meaningfully?”
- 02
Give each perspective room.
Each participant has time to explain the situation. We listen, summarize and check our understanding. Questions help separate what happened, how it was understood and what concerns remain.
“What do you most need the other person to understand?”
- 03
Understand what is underneath.
Develop a shared agenda and explore the interests behind the positions: security, recognition, predictability, time, relationships or financial certainty. Direct discussion or separate meetings can be used as appropriate.
“What makes this issue important to you?”
- 04
Explore and test possibilities.
Help participants generate options and consider how each might work. Discuss the information and advice needed, practical constraints and alternatives if no agreement is reached. The mediator does not impose a result.
“What other arrangement could address that concern?”
- 05
Make the next steps clear.
Identify any agreed points, outstanding issues, responsibilities and dates. Clarify the status of any written record. We encourage each participant to have their own lawyer review proposed terms before signing or relying on them, and advise on formal documentation or court steps. If there is no agreement, identify what remains unresolved.
“Who will do what, by when, and how will you follow up?”
BEING INFORMED MATTERS
Independent advice at each stage.
Check before deciding.
Seek advice as proposals develop or new information emerges. Discuss breaks or time between sessions to consult your lawyer and understand the implications.
Review the next steps.
Have your own lawyer review proposed terms before you sign or rely on them. Ask about formal documents, existing orders and any steps needed to put an arrangement into effect.
Together, where useful
A joint conversation can help participants hear one another and work through a shared agenda.
Separately, where appropriate
Private meetings or shuttle mediation allow discussion through the mediator. Information-sharing arrangements are clarified beforehand.
At a workable pace
Discuss remote participation, breaks and session length at intake. The plan can be adjusted as needs become clearer.
Education that informs the approach.
The approach draws on a Dispute Resolution Certificate from York University, including civil-mediation coursework, and extensive family-law experience. York’s Certificate in Family Mediation is in progress, with completion planned before the parenting coordination service opens.
Explore York’s family mediation program ↗YOUR NEXT STEP
You don’t need every answer
to begin a conversation.
Tell us the general issue, your province and any important dates. We will discuss suitability, current availability and the scope and fees before you decide whether to proceed.
Call or email us
Ask about services, fees and availability. We will explain the next steps and arrange intake separately.
Call Considered Mediation(403) 718-9866
Email an enquirycontact@consideredmediation.com
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