Call Family and Divorce Mediator, Henry Koltys, for expert assistance in divorce and family mediation.
Offices in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland. Call 415-710-1708.
Also see Child Custody Agreement and Parenting Plan software KidsFirst!
Whether together for one year or twenty years, the interconnected web of relationship is difficult to untangle without professional help. Collaborative mediation provides partners with a roadmap to resolve differences and create clear boundaries around family, relationships, finances, community, emotions, health, legal, property, and the psyche.
Collaborative family and divorce mediation empowers partners because they alone determine the processes and methods to achieve resolution. Because the past behaviors of the parties are responsible for their current situation, they are the ones who know the most likely common ground that can lead to resolution.
Collaborative family and divorce mediation protects the parties because the mediator coaches them and collaborates with them. The family and divorce mediator teaches the parties a language of deep dialogue that promotes a safe environment of mutual trust and respect, essential for clear understanding and agreement. In this way the parties feel “seen” and “heard” by the other, perhaps for the first time in their relationship. The knowledge, skills, and abilities learned by the parties during collaborative family and divorce mediation can provide them with a stronger communication tools for future personal and business relationships.
Family and divorce mediation is by far the least damaging alternative to other venues of resolving conflict but especially litigation, where the emotions are inflamed and relationships can be damaged beyond repair. When the parties feel safe they are more motivated to work together and craft an outcome in which everyone has ownership, compared to arbitration or litigation where the parties look to an arbitrator or judge for a decision as to who wins or loses.
Litigation is often described as a two-headed monster because it takes on a life of its own once in the hands of the trial attorneys. Litigation involves discovery (interrogatories, requests for admission, depositions, subpoenas for documentary evidence, etc.) often followed by trial, all of which can be costly in time, money, and emotional upset. During and after litigation the children often feel or witness the increased tensions and animosity that happens between parents. They often feel forced to choose between the parents or blame themselves for the break-up and resulting litigation. As a result, the children often become emotionally damaged for life, which affects relationships with parents, siblings, and even romantic partners.
Using these four stages of collaborative family and divorce mediation to reach a mutually acceptable resolution, the parties create a safe environment in which to collaborate and work through conflicts at every stage:
In addition to his mediation, negotiation, and settlement experience, Henry has an educational background in divorce mediation, counseling and guidance, and Alternative Dispute Resolution through his graduate and post-graduate education and numerous continuing legal education workshops. He is very skilled at coaching, guiding, and using non-defensive approaches with even the most difficult personalities. His years of experience and training combine to present a great bedside manner so clients feel comfortable confiding in him. They trust him to provide wise counsel and sound guidance within equitable and workable solutions.
Henry is particularly adept at working with couples in medium or high conflict cases to resolve child custody, financial, and property issues. Based upon the agreed resolution determined by the parties, he crafts property agreements that accurately reflect the intention of the parties. He creates detailed child custody agreements and co-parenting plans that ensure the children are protected during the difficult time of separation and divorce. Henry mediates both independently or with a therapist co-mediator, occasionally using a multi-disciplinary team approach with therapists, attorneys or financial specialists representing each party.
Henry is Chair of the Sophia Foundation, a non-profit to help children and families in transition. Through Sophia he has co-presented workshops for family law professionals, demonstrating how KidsFirst! custody and parenting software can be used to defuse and resolve complex issues around separation and dissolution. His most recent workshop was held in
Working together towards the common goal of a lasting resolution, couples often learn new ways to view their relationships, their world, and even themselves. The new communication tools and problem-solving skills some parties learn will benefit them in many ways and in many situations. To learn more about using collaborative mediation to work through conflict and achieve a lasting resolution, contact Henry directly via email at henry@mediation4resolution.com or by phone at 415.710.1708
Henry is very qualified to mediate issues involving the transfer and management of family wealth based on his decades of experience with wills, trusts, and estates, both as a practicing estate planning attorney and as a Trust Officer with Bank of Boston. He has successfully mediated between heirs of wills and beneficiaries of trusts in cases involving the administration or dispute of wills, trusts, powers of appointment, and conservatorships. Most wills and trusts contain a "no contest" clause that will automatically disinherit one or more heir or beneficiary if a court challenge is filed regarding the validity of the will or trust. Private mediation does not trigger the "no contest" clause and thus allows family members to negotiate these issues without risking disinheritance.
erts such as attorneys, therapists, divorce mediators, and custody evaluators have reviewed KidsFirst! and feel parenting plans can help protect children and promote positive communication between the parents. Some of these experts include Judge Donna Hitchens, Judge Ross Foote, Nancy Ross, Pauline Tessler, Peggy Thompson, Rodney Nurse, and David Sutton. Clients who license KidsFirst! receive expert counseling and advice to help them get to resolution without conflict. KidsFirst! is a collaborative tool for child custody and parenting that provides calendars with history tracking, behavior evaluations, child contracts, divorce forms, and even a FREE “Safe Child Plan.” Click here to learn more about child custody and co-parenting plans.
Copyright 1991-2010, Henry Koltys. All Rights Reserved.