SUMMARY OF THE VARIOUS SEPARATION AND DIVORCE COURSES AND OFFERINGS

Module One:

Introduction and Foundations of Divorce in Australia

This Module covers the foundations of your divorce – in essence, the things you need to know whether you are at the beginning or middle of your separation journey. We:

• Examine where you (and your ex) may be on your divorce journeys.
• Focus on issues of safety, security and privacy.
• Explore the Golden Rule of Divorce Negotiations.
• Examine the different ways of agreeing with your ex on parenting and finances.
• Learn about good divorce record-keeping practices (for example, what records should you protect yourself during your divorce).

Module Two:

Your Mojo/Mindset Module

This Module is all about you. How you are feeling and why during your divorce. Having worked with thousands of men and women who were going through a divorce, I have seen many patterns of emotions that most people experience. This Module is about harnessing those experiences to prepare you for your divorce journey and afterwards. In this Module, we will:

• Focus on your uncomfortable or darker emotions and learn how to harness them.
• Create your divorce beacon and anchor.
• Learn about self-care and self-soothing techniques.
• Explore and create your new life.

Module Three:

Interim Decision Making

This Module is for people who are contemplating separation. It covers what you might want to think about when thinking about leaving, if you do leave, how to tell your partner and some things you may want to consider from a strategic and legal perspective, e.g. living arrangements. In this Module, we cover:

• Things to consider before leaving your relationship (emotional and practical).
• How to leave (and what to say to your partner – and when).
• Different living arrangements (including nesting and whether to stay in or leave the house).

Plus, much more.

Module Four:

Introduction to Separation and Divorce in Australia

This Module introduces you to the Australian Legal System. We briefly outline how the various components of the family law system work together. Highlights include:

• An introduction to the Australian family law ecosystem explained.
• How to determine the date of separation and why it is important.
• How to get divorced and its implications.
• The role of your family lawyer in your divorce.

Module Five:

Parenting and Your Children’s Divorce

If you have kids, no doubt you will want to know how to ensure they are protected as much as possible from your divorce: while it is sad, it isn't bad. In this Module, we:

• Explore in quite a bit of detail how to protect your kids from the impact of your separation.
• Tips on how to parenting
• Discuss how you can be the best parent you can be through a divorce. 
• Focus on what to say to your kids about your separation.

Module Six:

Parenting and the Australian Family Law System

In this Module, we focus on parenting under the Family Law Act, talk more about different scheduling, make a parenting plan, and discuss your options if you cannot agree. Highlights include:

• How parenting works under the Australian Family Law.
• Creating a Parenting Plan (including some of the pitfalls of different arrangements).  
• An examination of varying parenting schedules.
• The differences between Parenting Orders, Parenting Plans and Parenting Agreements.
• What to Do If you Can’t Come to An Agreement with your Children’s Other Parent.

Module Seven:

Your Financials: Disclosure and Your Property Split

We spend a whole Module examining your property split and touching on your duty of financial disclosure. You learn all about your property split, which assets and debts are included, and we go through a step-by-step approach to putting your balance sheet together and dividing your pool. In this Module we:

• Work through your obligations of financial disclosure.
• Examine what assets and debts are included in your property split.
• Focus on how the Australian law divides assets and debts between separating couples.
• Prepare a balance sheet and work out how to divide assets and debts (item by item and via percentage).

Module Eight:

Your Financials: Disclosure and Your Property Split

 Your Finances (Spousal Maintenance, Child Support and the Legal Enforceability of your Agreements).

This Module focuses on how spousal support and child support work. We talk more about budgeting, dividing your stuff, and making your agreement enforceable. Highlights include:

• A thorough examination of spousal maintenance and how it may apply to you.
• Child Support (including how it is calculated, what to do if you disagree with your calculation, how to engage with the Child Support Agency and Binding Child Support Agreements).
• An examination of Adult Child Maintenance.
• How to make your financial agreements legally enforceable (including  Binding Financial Agreements and Court Consent Orders, including some of the risks involved in DIY Court Applications for Consent Orders).

Module Nine:

Communication, Negotiation and Making Good Divorce Decisions

This Module is about how to pull everything together and negotiate with your ex. We talk about when and how to communicate with your ex and go into a lot of detail about how to negotiate using my negotiation approach and worksheets that you can use again and again (and not only in your divorce but in your negotiations more generally). We also look at different strategies underpinning how to make good divorce decisions. This Module includes:

• Some tips on questions to ask before communicating with your ex.
• The five F words of good divorce communication.
• An in-depth examination of divorce negotiation techniques (with detailed worksheets with case examples). 
• An exploration of what a good divorce decision looks like.

Module Ten:

Mediation and Your Family Lawyer

In this Module, we focus on getting prepared to mediate and preparing for your first meeting with your family lawyer. Mediation can be scary without knowing what to expect and how to prepare for it from matter management and mindset perspective, so we go into depth about this. Highlights include:

• How to Choose your Mediator 
• What to expect during your mediation
• What to do and what not to do during your mediation
• How to find the right lawyer for you
• What to take to your first meeting
• How billing works with your lawyer and how to keep your legal costs down
• How to assess whether you should leave your lawyer (and tips to try before doing so)