By Way of Introduction…
Whatever you wish to label it, online mediation, remote mediation, digital mediation, or virtual mediation, it all means developing parenting financial, and/or property agreements through family dispute resolution via the internet. And at Resolutions Australia we firmly believe in its benefits!
These benefits are numerous and varied and it’s because of this that Resolutions Australia mediates exclusively online. In the following blog entry you’ll gain a better understanding of why online mediation is a positive step forward within the profession as well as for the individuals and families seeking mediation.
Mediation From Home
The first, and arguably the most important and significant benefit to online mediation is that it’s able to be conducted in the privacy, safety, and security of your own home.
Consider the fact that a divorce is one of life’s most significant challenges, potentially loaded with a range of emotions, conflict, and feelings of confusion and uncertainty. To be able to engage with the family mediation (family dispute resolution) process in the place where you feel most at ease is a blessing.
There’s no travel stress through either distance or traffic conditions. There’s no cold impersonal office space. No receptionists and waiting rooms. You can have the coffee by your side, the ambient sounds of home around you, a comfy chair, snacks by your side. In short, you can set the scene as you please.
Beyond the environmental factors there’s the fact that for most people home is where they feel most comfortable and at ease. Inarguably the best place for tackling the challenges of family mediation!
Remote mediation
A wonderful benefit of providing a virtual mediation service is its accessibility to those in remote communities. Within Australia there are communities too numerous to mention that simply don’t have a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (family mediator) available to them. Lawyers, yes, however the cost of a lawyer to facilitate family mediation is significantly greater than that led by a family dispute resolution practitioner.
It could be argued that family lawyers aren’t necessarily specialised in family mediation. Family dispute resolution practitioners are.
From Christmas Island to Norfolk Island, from Darwin to Hobart (and beyond) Resolutions Australia is able to conduct family mediation. This universality and egalitarianism is both philosophically and practically of enormous benefit to those going through the divorce process. To highlight this our company has even mediated parenting plans with an
Australian ADF couple who were based in the UK!
As unusual as that example sounds it highlights the benefits of online family mediation Australia wide (and beyond.) Consider FIFO workers, those working on outback stations or those away from home employed on infrastructure projects. Small communities of a few hundred people, communities cut off by weather events, families separated with parents living hundreds or even thousands of kilometres apart. All benefit from mediating online.
Online vs In-Person Mediation
In a perfect world, during divorce the two parties concerned would sit down with their mediator, and in a friendly, civilised manner would reach agreements through the gentle ebb and flow of conversation and negotiation. A smile at the end, agreement in hand, and all is well with what will be the families’ new normal.
The reality however is somewhat different and in person mediation has the potential to exacerbate issues that may already be present as well as causing new ones.
Family mediators are dedicated professionals who do their utmost to ensure client safety, an even balance of power, positive communication, and maintaining the needs of the children at the centre of the mediation. Unfortunately, no matter how experienced, dedicated, and professional the mediator is, numerous issues can arise in person that may derail the mediation.
Safety Risks in In-Person Mediation
These are context specific to being in person instead of online. Safety planning for vulnerable clients may not accurately assess the possible inappropriate behaviour of a client. Environmental factors such as power cuts, construction noise, uncomfortable seating, broken air-conditioning etc can impact negatively, a client seeing their ex may be triggering and heighten anxiety.
Emotional Reactivity in In-Person Settings
How the clients present to counselling in person should be considered. Client states during in person family mediation tend to be more reactive, emotive, and argumentative in our experience. Whether this is due to being in the same space as the ex spouse or being in a place the client is unfamiliar with is up for debate. The reality however is that many clients are simply not terribly comfortable mediating in person.
Greater Comfort and Control Online
In our experience being online provides surety and comfort. Both parties feel safe and confident. Contributions are more open and honest and power dynamics (while sometimes still present) are greatly diminished if present at all.
Breaks in online mediation are more comforting and purposeful as clients can have a stretch, wander out to the back yard for some deep breathes, put the kettle on, and actually have a break as opposed to a quick toilet stop and a cup of instant coffee in an unfamiliar business kitchen.
Why We Choose to Mediate Online
The professionals at Resolutions Australia choose to mediate exclusively online for several reasons.
Better Communication Online
Firstly, we find that greater structure can be added to communication. Parties are less inclined to talk over each other during a virtual mediation and the tone and content of the communication tends to be more on topic and focussed. This effort by family mediation clients, managed by our fantastic mediators, means parenting plans and financial or property agreements are more accurate, authentic, and considered. For us as professionals we love seeing any negatives between parties simply fade away during the course of an online mediation!
Real-Time Agreements During Mediation
A second, and hugely helpful reason we mediate online is that as mediators we can draft agreements online, with parties, in real time. While drafting agreements in person in real time also happens it’s often on a large chart or the mediator’s laptop and can be difficult to update and share easily. Having a living document develop before client eyes during online mediation is a professional joy. The immediacy and timeliness of an online document changing before client eyes strengthens the purposefulness of the process and effort the clients are making.
Online Mediation Fits Modern Life
Lastly, and importantly. Whether we call it digital mediation, virtual mediation, family mediation online, or remote mediation, it is undoubtedly the way of the future. We buy groceries online, we plan and book holidays online, we search for cars, homes, and jobs online. We try to find a future wife or husband online! At Resolutions Australia we firmly believe (indeed we’ve shaped our business around it,) that it makes perfect sense to be able to navigate our way through the challenges of family life, post-separation, online. As professionals we value it for the authenticity and genuineness of the agreements reached.
To Conclude
Our clients find their value in the process stemming from the emotional safety and surety provided, the focus and purposefulness engendered, and the empowerment gained from mediating where they are most at ease.
So whether it’s family mediation via Zoom, parenting planning using Teams, or mediating property via Facetime, we choose it, we value it, and we make the most of it.
As a potential client, if you’re looking for a safe, secure, mediation experience with experts in the field, get in touch, we’re here to help!
