“We had pretty much decided that our marriage was over but after Maria and David’s intervention we discovered new ways to communicate and we are happy together again”
Couple in their 50’s
Families
Family Mediation
There are many reasons why families fail to communicate well. Mistrust, habitual fighting, tiredness and growing apart all contribute to poor communication.
Whatever the reason for a communication breakdown, healthy dialogue is at the heart of healthy decisions yet most families do not know how to talk to each other so that everyone feel equally heard and understood. Without that basic building block decisions are unlikely to translate into mutually acceptable outcomes.
We work with families in two ways:
Session Work
In this work we work therapeutically with the family to understand how the communication broke down and what remedies will work
Training
We offer training in the Dialogue Road Map especially aimed at couples communication and parenting.
Families with Multiple Problems
We work with families in distress. Children in these families have very poor outcomes. Many of them are permanently excluded from school and are more likely to get involved in crime, have drug and alcohol problems and are likely to be taken into local authority care. Their parents often have problems being effective parents, experience addiction problems, poor physical and mental health, are unemployed and suffer family breakdown and domestic violence amongst a range of other problems.
At the Centre for Peaceful Solutions we often work with families in these situations. Poor housing, poverty and few prospects are contributing factors to their situation.
Every family presents special circumstances that create new challenges. Unresolved trauma is often at the heart of the issues. Left untreated this can manifest in a combination of external behaviours such as:
- Crime and anti-social behaviour
- Children out of school
- Dependency on benefits
- Safeguarding concerns
- Conflict with authorities, neighbours and extended family
Underlying issues are often hidden and yet can be a major contributing factor to a family becoming troubled and unable to cope. With the right knowledge and awareness, practitioners can bring new wisdom and understanding to family life. And, the timely use of mediation can help troubled families resolve complicated conflicts which arise from frustration, resentment, bitterness and disempowerment.
In partnership with Alison O’Mahony of Be Stepwise, Peter Marsden-Allen MSc and Joe Wilmot of CSTD London we delivered a conference focussing on working with ‘Troubled Families’ where we introduced a 5 step working model which includes:
- Assessment and Evaluation
- Trauma work
- Parenting and Communication within integrated families
- Family Group Work
- Mediation with family, community and public services
With all five steps working in simultaneously in combination to provide a powerful healing and transformative therapeutic model.
