Can Do Conversations….

Maximising Parental Alliance WhenWorking With Children

Sally Walker FMC Mediation and Counselling Victoria

FMC receives funding from the Federal Government Department of Social Services (DSS) for Family & Community Services

Services Provided by

FMC

Family Dispute Resolution

FMC Areasof Practice

Supporting Children After Separation - Child Counselling

Relationship Counselling

Customer Support Service

Relationship Education and

Groups

Family & Community Services

Family Relationship Centres ( 2 x FRCs)

CouplesCounselling

Financial Counselling

FinancialEducation

Family Law Services

Family Mental Health Support

Service

Family & Relationship

Services

Financial Wellbeing & Capability

Mental Health Support for Children, Teens &

their Families

Community Education

FMC Clients

Client DemographicsFMC Total

Number of Clients Seen 6,294

Male % 46.0

Female % 52.7

Unidentified % 1.3

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People % 0.9

Marital StatusSingle or Never Married % 4.6

Married % 10.6

De Facto % 5.1

De Facto Separated % 18.7

Separated But Not Divorced % 24.6

Divorced % 10.7

Other Relationship % 3.2

Unidentified % 22.5

Employment StatusEmployed % 55.8

Unemployed – Seeking Employment % 9.1

Not in the Labour Force % 26.4

Unidentified % 8.7

Income$0 - $25,000 % 30.3

$25,001 - $50,000 % 22.2

$50,001 - $110,000 % 21.2

$110,001 and over % 4.8

Unidentified % 21.5

FMC Total

Highest Education Levels

Primary % 12.8

Secondary - Year 10 % 17.3

Secondary - Year 12 % 18.8

Tertiary - University or Institutes % 42.2

Never Attended School 0.1

Unidentified 8.8

Country of Birth

Australia % 72.6

England % 2.1

New Zealand % 1.7

India % 1.4

China % 0.9

Sri Lanka % 1.2

Other % 12.7

Unidentified % 7.3

Main Language  

English % 86.9

Mandarin % 0.7

Arabic % 0.8

Sinhalese % 0.3

Spanish % 0.3

Other % 4.5

Unidentified % 6.4

FMC Client Service Utilisation

Number of Clients Seen from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015

Service Delivery Clients Seen

Family and Relationship Services 1,585

Family Dispute Resolution 1,927

Family Relationship Centres 1,798

Financial Counselling 168

Supporting Children After Separation 1,368

Total Clients Seen 6,294

Section 60B (2) then outlines a number of principles which underpin this object:• Children have the right to know and be cared for by both

their parents, regardless of whether their parents are married, separated, have never married or have never lived together.

• Children have a right of contact, on a regular basis, with both their parents and with other people significant to their care, welfare and development.

• Parents share duties and responsibilities concerning the care, welfare and development of their children.

• Parents should agree about the future parenting of their children.

Child Inclusive Practice

Source: Perry, B.D., (The Child Trauma Academy). (2013)1: The Human Brain [Video webcast].In Seven Slide Series. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOsgDkeH52o

Can do conversations..maximising parental alliance when working

with children

The right hemisphere of the brain is generally responsible for assessing safety or danger from others and in organising a sense of the emotional self. Importantly, it is this appraisal of events that may lead to the development of motivational avoidance or approach schemas during the course of one’s life in order to satisfy basic needs.

Recent shift includes the way in which safe environments through talking therapy can facilitate the establishment of new and more effective patterns of neural firing. The research currently maintains that on a molecular level neural connections form the essence of memory.

Therapeutic Alliance

Engaging in therapy is a deeply personal experience.

Essentially the human brain is a social entity which flourishes through its connections to other brains (Schore,

2012; Siegel, 2012). However, in the absence of an environment in which to flourish, pathology may develop. (Rossouw, 2013)

The therapeutic process may therefore provide an environment in which the basic needs of safety and control are met -specifically, in a safe therapeutic environment a gradual shift may take place, from patterns of protection to patterns of approach.

Safety and Needs

Clinical Empathy is also an important element of quality

health care in medicine.

Physicians who attempt to understand what their patients

are feeling, whether they are successful (empathic

accuracy) or just genuinely communicating their concern

(empathic concern), achieve a number of valuable

outcomes for their patients.

(Mercer and Reynolds, 2002)

Empathy

• Central to Motivational Interviewing is developing an empathic relationship with the client which seeks to resolve the ambivalence about the behaviours which are preventing change. Roll with Resistance

Express Empathy

Develop Discrepancy

Support Self Efficacy

• The application of motivational interviewing techniques for engaging "resistant" families.

Motivational Interviewing

Source: Marie Iannos and Greg Antcliff CFCA Practitioner Resource, May 2013

Client Journey

On commercial airline flights, passenger safety instructions state that parents should always put on their own oxygen mask first, before helping their children put their masks on. The principle is that you cannot help your child if you pass

out in the process!

It is the same when you are separating…. You need to be OK yourself, before you can help anyone

else

Protect your children from harm in separation by first protecting yourself

Work to develop and maintain your own sense of well-being

Safety Warning for Separating Parents

Practice Approach to Achieve Good Outcomes

16

What are the Outcomes

Thank You!

www.mediation.com.au 1800 639 523