Mediation/Parenting
Parenting disputes
Decisions about children, made by their parents.
Schedules, schools, holidays, how decisions get made — when parents can't agree, a court can decide for you. Mediation keeps those decisions with the two people who know the children best.
Sounds familiar?
The situations this page is for.
- Working out a parenting schedule after separating
- An existing arrangement that has stopped working
- Disagreement about school, medical care or religion
- One parent wants to relocate
- Co-parenting has become constant conflict
- Grandparents or step-parents caught in the middle
- Creating a parenting plan, access schedule or custody agreement
How we'd help
Built around one question: what do the children need?
Parenting mediation is confidential and voluntary, and every conversation comes back to the children.
The mediator helps both parents say what matters to them, hear what matters to the other, and build an arrangement that is specific enough to work on a Tuesday afternoon — not just on paper. Everything is decided by the parents; nothing is imposed.
A plan can be revisited as children grow, without starting the conflict over.
one paragraph in the mediator's own voice about this kind of matter — experience, and how a session is run.
Common questions
What people ask before they call.
How do we start?
One person gets in touch. You do not need the other party's agreement to make the first call — part of what we do is help bring the other side to the table.
How do I get the other person to participate?
Mediation is voluntary, so no one can be compelled. What usually works is a neutral invitation from the mediator rather than from the person they are in conflict with.
How long does it take?
Typical number of sessions for this kind of matter, and how long each runs.
Do the children take part?
The mediator's approach — are children ever consulted, and how?
Can the agreement become a court order?
How a mediated parenting plan is handled in Maryland — does the mediator draft it, and what happens next.
Is it confidential?
What is said in mediation stays in mediation. Nothing is shared outside the process unless the participants agree to share it.
How much does it cost?
Hourly, per session, or per matter? A range, or "quoted after the first conversation" if fees vary.
Can we do this remotely?
Virtual, in person at the Bowie office, or both — and whether the parties need to be in the same room.