Mediation provides divorcing couples the opportunity to renegotiate existing agreements or resolve disagreements outside the court process. Through mediation, the individuals may create their own agreement to settle their case. Indeed, most cases do settle when the parties mediate their disagreements. However, the divorcing individuals have the choice whether to settle their case or not. As a mediator, I help divorcing clients to communicate in a way that promotes settlement, understanding, and reconciliation as they create their own agreement, rather than have a judge decide their case.  This is especially important if they will be continuing to be involved with one another as co-parents for children or business partners.  In this process, I provide the involved parties with all decision-making power. Clients are encouraged to consider their best interests, as well as the results that they would like to create in mediation.  Many divorcing couples who contact me for help in negotiating the terms of their divorce ask me if I think that it is necessary to have legal representation.

Because it is not legal or appropriate for me to pass any type of judgement or provide legal or expert advice, I feel that divorce mediation is only  ethical for couples that are either aware of Texas laws or who have legal guidance.  Without sufficient information about the best alternative to negotiated agreement (BATNA), there is a risk that individuals will not be able to adequately advocate for themselves.  In the interest of educated choices and equitable agreements, I always encourage couples to consult a collaborative lawyer, or to seek advice from lawyers individually.   Attorney representation is not necessary, but the presence of  a lawyer or lawyers during my mediation sessions is encouraged. I recommend having mediated Memorandums of Understanding reviewed by individual legal counsel prior to your signing the agreement. In practice, it works best for mediating parties to obtain one to four hours of individual legal advice throughout the mediation process. This legal advice may be best obtained early in the mediation, by legal counsel’s review of a near-final draft Agreement, and by counsel’s review of the final Agreement. This level of consultation dramatically elevates clients’ comfort and confidence in the final agreement.  This is especially important if children are involved, or if they are working to extricate from any particularly complicated business and personal involvements.

With my stance on the importance of obtaining sufficient legal support made clear, there are a number of resources available to couples wishing to represent themselves in the divorce process (Pro Se Litigants).  The following information is intended to assist parties to comfortably, confidently, and effectively represent themselves in mediation.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS PRO SE LITIGANTS IN DIVORCE

PRO SE DIVORCE HANDBOOK:  REPRESENTING YOURSELF IN FAMILY COURT
Produced As A Public Service By The Texas Young Lawyers Association 2002-2003
This informative handbook provides information for those representing themselves in a simple
(uncontested) divorce, along with discussions about division of marital property and issues
concerning children.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN A TEXAS FAMILY LAW COURT
Produced As A Public Service By The Texas Young Lawyers Association
Navigating your way through a family law case can be confusing during what is often a stressful
and emotional time in your life. Not knowing what to expect can make it even harder.
This handout is intended to help you understand what you can expect when you have a case in
Texas family law court.

DO-IT-YOURSELF COURT FORMS FREE
Click the above link to access free forms from The Travis County Law Library. The Library is developing new forms for the web site all the time. If a form is not on this site, you can visit them in the Travis County Courthouse. You may copy any forms in the Law Library for 20 cents per page.

TEXAS DIVORCE WORKSHEET AND LAW SUMMARY FOR CONTESTED OR UNCONTESTED CASES
For under $25, this Divorce Worksheet and Law Summary for Contested or Uncontested Cases is a package that contains the following: information about divorce in general, definitions, visitation, child support, child custody as well as other matters. Worksheets are also included that include detail information and financial forms. Ideal for a client interview/information form, or for you to complete prior to an interview with an attorney. This package is also ideal for you to read and complete before attempting your own divorce.

ONLINE FREE DIVORCE CALCULATORS:

FREE SALE OF HOME CALCULATOR

FREE ALIMONY RECAPTURE CALCULATOR

FREE MONTHLY PAYMENT CALCULATOR

FREE ALIMONY BUY-OUT CALCULATOR

FREE INCOME AND TAX CALCULATOR

FREE PROPERTY DIVISION CALCULATOR

In my coaching, I repeatedly come across people who are depleted from the stressful nature of their job situations.  The ongoing, hectic pace of the 21st century workplace tends to create a disconnection that often results in chronic stress, and resultantly, mental and/or physical illness. For these individuals, I work to reconnect them both to their innate instincts and with the slower pace of nature with a technique called Ecotherapy. Ecotherapy, a fusion of psychology and ecology, and thereby, a ‘green’ therapy, works to restore mental/emotional/spiritual health in individuals suffering from symptoms stemming from industrialized cultures’ increasing disconnection from the natural world. Ecotherapy, especially when experienced in a retreat setting, specifically offers a holistic approach to job stress that helps individuals and teams use the innate intelligence of nature to transform their challenges into opportunities for vital expansion.

A Common Job Stress Scenario

Tina had recently been promoted, and had been working long hours. Her life became imbalanced, and she began to feel exhausted–experiencing splitting migraines and fitful bouts of sleep. She tried to push through and ignore the problems, but her performance at work began to suffer, and she became increasingly irritable–even around her family and friends. Tina needed her job and didn’t feel like she could risk taking time off or afford to slow down and fall behind. She felt like she needed to escape and recharge for a little while. Tina was manifesting early warning signs of the type of stress that could lead to chronic health problems. Like most employees at some point, she was in fact, depleted from the unnatural pace of the contemporary work environment, and in actuality, desperately needed to reconnect with nature.

Job Stress-A Prevalent Problem

Job stress has become a common and costly problem in the American workplace, leaving few workers untouched. For example, recent work surveys have revealed the following:

• 40% of workers report that their job is “very or extremely stressful.”

• 26% of workers report they are “often or very often burned out or stressed out” by their work.

• 29% of workers report they feel “quite a bit or extremely stressed” at work.

All humans respond to stressful situations as threats that require either a ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ response. Hormones are released to prepare individuals for either response, causing them to specifically become alert and poised for combat or escape. This pre-programming serves a vital function, and therefore, the catalytic experience of occasional stressful events is, generally speaking, not harmful to the individual. However, problems tend to occur when people remain in long-term stressful situations, which specifically cause the body to remain in an elevated state of ‘fight-or-flight’ arousal. Such a prolonged physical state can result in exhaustion and a compromised immune system. Contemporary workplaces tend to be consistently fast-paced and demanding, and thereby, environments that routinely expose workers to long-term stress.

Studies specifically reveal a relationship between job stress and chronic health problems such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal problems, and psychological disorders. Early warning signs of job stress typically include mood and sleep disturbances, work injuries, digestive problems, headaches, short temper and depression. Such accumulated stress not only puts employees like Tina at risk, but is very costly to companies. Low morale and high turnover can also result from job stress, and a previous report from a leading labor statistics clearinghouse manifested that workers who must take time off work because of stress, anxiety, or a related disorder will usually be off the job for approximately 20 days.

Ecotherapy—A Solution for Balance Restoration and Daily Stress Management

Many people intuitively seek time outside to decompress; gardening, golfing, swimming, cycling, running, hiking are a few examples. These activities quiet the mind and help relax the body. Ecotherapy, which is based on the emerging field of ecopsychology, simply builds on such instincts to seek healing outdoors. Ecotherapy harnesses the healing power of ‘wild’ places to help individuals find balance, connection, and guidance, by deepening their relationship with the natural world. A Pulitzer Prize-winning sociobiologist lended theoretical support to this therapeutic approach, asserting that people have ‘biophilia’–an intrinsic biological need to be in contact with nature.

Nature, in biophilic theory, holds the key to health and satisfaction. Ecotherapy enables participants to strengthen their sense of connectivity and responsibility towards both the environment and their own health, through direct external experiences with nature and transformative therapy.

The combination helps align individuals with their intrinsic, innate intelligence. Ecotherapy is essentially a “de-frag” function for disconnected, depleted individuals, that helps them to reconnect with restorative systems. The goal of Ecotherapy is to help such individuals return to their daily lives–with stress-management coping strategies grounded in the wisdom of nature.

Ecotherapy Retreats

Ecotherapy retreats, generally, are restorative ecotherapy events that are conducted in untouched, natural environments, and accompanied by, a) cleansing, chef-prepared cuisine; b) deep sleep; and, c) interactive outdoor activities (“adventures”). Each retreat should also include guided imagery, breath work, workshops, reframing activities, and ample time for relaxation. The best ecotherapy retreats for individuals and corporate groups are custom-designed, to optimally realign the participants with rejuvenating natural forces, and provide them with personalized strategies to manage the daily stresses of their particular lives.

The four main goals for a successful ecotherapy retreat should be, to: 1) harness ecological wisdom to release tension and promote sustainable lifestyle patterns; 2) provide participants with opportunities for personal healing and transformation; 3) reawaken a sense of interdependence and provide support for participants (as they learn to work with others in diffusing their sense of isolation); and, 4) on the larger scale, foster a sense of responsibility for the environment. Ecotherapy and Ecotherapy retreats are viable, contemporary, de facto green coaching processes, that can enable any employee or team of employees to alleviate accrued, debilitating job stress, and re-establish their connection with themselves and the natural world.

Please contact me to learn more about Ecotherapy for your individual needs or to design a custom Ecotherapy retreat.

Thank you for visiting.

Life Coach and Mediator

Hi there, thanks for checking out my blog and wanting to learn a bit more about what I do!  

Basically, I work with people who are seeking help moving forward in various ways.   As a coach, I use my conventional training and holistic integrative techniques to help individuals, couples, and teams develop strategies to overcome limitations and achieve goals. As a mediator specializing in family dispute resolution, I offer guidance as people negotiate agreements and reconcile conflicts of interest outside of a courtroom.  My practice is based in Austin, Texas, but I enjoy working with clients across the nation and around the world.

Professional Background

My capacity as a coach and mediator is enhanced by a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in Human Ecology with an emphasis on the psychology of interpersonal communication.  I obtained my core mediation training from the UT School of Law and additional advanced family mediation training from the Worklife Institute in Houston. Because I believe that it is one of the most powerful, effective tools available, I use hypnotherapy to augment the transformative potential of my  coaching and am certified as a Clinical Hypnotherapist through the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners.  My dissertation, “Conversational Narcissism in Marriage,” was published as a book in 2008 by VDM Verlag. I also teach writing at UT and work as Coordinator of the UT Undergraduate Writing Center.
 
I’ve done a lot of different things, and find that my experiences in various sectors helps me to relate to my clients.  Before establishing a private practice, I worked as a mediator for small claims court cases referred by Austin area judges at the UT School of Law Mediation Clinic. In New York City, I conducted in-house mediations as Office Manager of Freshfields, Bruckhaus, Deringer LLP, a British based international law firm specializing in Corporate Finance, Intellectual Property, Competition and Trade with over 2000 attorneys in 32 offices. I also conducted family coaching and mediations for Stepping Stone Transitional Living Program as a residential care worker and counselor to children from challenging family situations.

Please give me a call or send me an email and let me know what is happening in your life so we can discuss ways I may be able to help you move forward and achieve your optimal personal, professional, and relational potential!

Warm regards,
Lisa