The Family Mediation Blog
Twenty MCFM Members Presenting at a National Mediation Conference in Boston - Nov 7-9, 2019
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
MCFM is excited to announce its partnership with 2 national organizations, APFM (Academy of Professional Family Mediators) and ADFP (Association of Divorce Financial Planners), to present a BLOCKBUSTER conference in Boston, November 7-9, 2019.
Numerous MCFM members will be presenting. Be sure to check out these workshops and help us spread the word:
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: What Makes People Tick: A Divorce Professional's Guide to Our Multiple Parts
David Hoffman (MCFM Member)
Friday, Nov. 8...
5 Reasons to Mediate Probate or Estate Situations
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
5 Reasons to Mediate Probate or Estate Situations
Co-Parenting for Dummies… and Smarties, too! A Guide to Co-Parent Communications
Monday, January 7, 2019
Co-Parenting for Dummies… and Smarties, too!
A GUIDE TO CO-PARENT COMMUNICATIONS
While it isn’t rocket science, it can be surprisingly difficult to communicate with the person you used to be married to. Old habits die hard and if you and s/he had a hard time listening to, not criticizing, or understanding each other before, chances are good that after divorce communications will also be a challenge. Add to this the residual feelings you might have about your marriage and what went wrong, coupled with the intensity of dealing with child related issues through and after divorce, managing all of the scheduling back and forth….well, you get the point----it just isn’t easy!!
As a family and...
The Alimony Reform Act: Lessons Learned in the Last Six Years
Friday, December 7, 2018
The Alimony Reform Act: Lessons Learned in the Last Six YearsThis December Don’t Dread Divorces
Monday, November 12, 2018This December Don’t Dread Divorces
by John Fiske
Thanks to the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, (“TCAJA”), divorce lawyers and mediators know that December will be a busy time and some of us may be working right up to the bell on Monday, December 31st. Under the TCAJA the alimony exclusion has been repealed for all separation agreements executed after this December (technically you could say the alimony exclusion is suspended, because the TCAJA repeal expires on December 31, 2025).Wanted: Diverse Divorce Practitioners. Why Diversity is Good for All of Us
Tuesday, September 25, 2018Wanted: Diverse Divorce Practitioners. Why Diversity is Good for All of Us
By Valerie Qian
Cultural competence and sensitivity to the needs of diverse clients are an essential part of being an effective and successful professional.
My father-in-law recently underwent surgery to remove a kidney stone. It happened at a big hospital in New York City which, I understand, has an excellent urology department. As a first-generation immigrant from Shanghai, my father-in-law speaks limited English. After the surgery, while he was...
Facilitated Family Meetings
Monday, September 17, 2018
I suspect many of us have experienced, at one time or another, how quickly extended family conflicts can unfold, and the damaging impact on valued relationships that often follows. Identity and values conflicts among family members may emerge and communication may unravel. Even in the closest of families, feelings about issues relating to aging parents or other loved ones run deep, and adult children and grandchildren may have vastly different perspectives regarding how evolving challenges should be managed. It is not uncommon for longstanding sibling rivalries to manifest as family members attempt to tackle...Letter from Past President Barbara Kellman
Tuesday, July 24, 2018Dear Colleagues,
It has been an honor to serve for two years as MCFM President. Now if I could only convince Mr. Trump of the value of a two-year presidency. . . but, back to reality.
Our profession is extraordinarily important as we encourage parties to actually listen to and to hear the real (i.e., non-fake) needs and interests of each other. Whether their needs and interests intersect only a bit or a lot, in one place or in several, it is our job to help them to see and strengthen those intersection(s).
Easier Said Than Done
Though it is easier said than done, like our Senator Warren, we Persist. We seek connections that have been lost or perhaps were never sufficiently strong. We promote disclosure in situations that can be fraught with mistrust, suspicion, and secrecy. We encourage looking forward through the whole, wide windshield in front of us and not back through the small rearview mirror, as Kate Fanger taught me.
Why do...
In Memoriam: June Adams Johnson
Monday, May 28, 2018In Memoriam: June Adams Johnson
Our friend and colleague June Adams Johnson passed away on April 18, 2018 in her home in Groton, MA, surrounded by family and accompanied by the music of the Threshold Singers of Indian Hill Music. She was a wonderful person and a valued member of our Mediators Education and Support Group, which meets monthly in Interpeople’s offices in Littleton, MA. Her passing was sudden and we still feel shocked and bereft.
June was born June Louise Adams in Portland, Maine, on June 1, 1939. She leaves behind her devoted (second) husband, Steve Lieman, four adult children, five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
June graduated high school as...
President's Message: 2020: A Vision for the Future of MCFM
Monday, May 21, 2018PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:
2020: A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF MCFM
by Vicki L. Shemin, J.D., LICSW, ACSW
As the 24th President of MCFM, it is a formidable task to pen a President’s message. In thinking about all that I would like to convey, I was struck by the fact that my presidency will span the years 2018-2020.
2020.
The irony of 2020 did not escape me. The familiar maxim that “hindsight is 20-20” is commonly understood to mean that we don’t always see clearly in the moment and that we only gain a perfect view of events after they have transpired - - that is, we are better able to evaluate past choices in retrospect rather than at the time of the occurrence.
But what if one had the benefit of an amazing Board of Directors who brings a perfect equipoise of past experience and fresh insights? And, what if one had the benefit of energetic and...
Pages
MCFM Journal & Family Mediation Quarterly
