Parenting Plan Creation
A mediation process focused on your child, designed for parents beginning separation or divorce
Our Parenting Plan Creation process is a child-centered divorce or separation mediation approach that provides structure, support, and preparation so parents can create a clear parenting plan thoughtfully, without rushing decisions or letting conflict take over.
If You’re Here, You Might Be…
- At the beginning of a separation or divorce
- Unsure what kind of schedule will work
- Feeling pressure to move forward, but wanting to be thoughtful
- Worried about protecting your child from conflict
- Mostly on the same page with the other parent, but wanting help turning your agreements into a plan
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone.
What Parenting Plan Creation Is—and Isn’t
Parenting Plan Creation is a parenting plan mediation process that helps parents create a clear, child-centered parenting plan at the beginning of a separation or divorce. The goal is to establish structure, predictability, and shared expectations for parenting, while leaving room for flexibility as children grow and circumstances change.
This process focuses on helping you make practical decisions about parenting time, decision-making, communication, and transitions, always keeping your child’s well-being as the main priority.
A parenting plan covers the everyday decisions and routines that come with raising your child. It goes beyond setting schedules and focuses on how you parent together day to day.
This often includes things like:
- When your child is with each parent, including regular schedules, holidays, and school breaks
- How transitions between homes will happen
- How important decisions will be made, such as medical care, education, and activities
- How you and the other parent will communicate about your child
- How your child can stay in touch with each parent when you’re not together
- Ways to support your child’s safety, emotional well-being, and relationship with both parents
Every family is different. Mediation allows space to address these topics in a way that fits your child’s needs and your family’s circumstances, rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.
Parenting Plan Creation is not about rushing you to agree, assigning blame, or deciding who is right or wrong. It is not therapy, and it is not a court hearing. Instead, it gives you a supportive, neutral place to consider your options, focus on what matters most, and build a parenting plan you can count on for the future.
A Common Pressure Parents Feel but Rarely Talk About
Preparation doesn’t slow mediation down. It often keeps it from getting stuck.
When separation or divorce begins, many parents feel a quiet pressure to act quickly. It can seem like decisions must be made immediately, before things become harder, more expensive, or more complicated.
What parents are rarely told is that starting mediation without preparation can actually slow the process down. When priorities are unclear or concerns haven’t been fully considered, conversations can stall or become more difficult than they need to be.
A short, intentional preparation step can help mediation move forward more efficiently by identifying common ground early and narrowing the issues that need to be worked through together.
How We Begin
How the Parenting Plan Creation Process Works
Our Parenting Plan Creation process provides structure and support from the very beginning, while keeping the focus on your child and on practical, workable solutions.
Fees & What to Expect
- You can participate in mediation without an attorney
- You can choose if and when to involve an attorney
- If you want, an attorney can join you during mediation
- You can talk to an attorney at any time or have them review your parenting plan before you file it
- Parenting Plan Creation focuses on parenting issues from top to bottom, including parenting time, decision-making, communication, transitions, and related financial matters such as child support and division of assets, when appropriate
What You’ll Walk Away With
- A shared, child-centered approach to parenting that feels intentional and workable
- Clear guidance for everyday decisions
- Flexibility when communication is working
- Structure and clarity to rely on when things feel harder
- Greater confidence in navigating future issues without immediately escalating conflict
Communication, Conflict, and Keeping Children Out of the Middle
Parents do not have to agree on everything to co-parent effectively. What matters most is how conflict is handled and how much of it reaches the children.
Reduce Unnecessary Conflict
The mediation process focuses on addressing issues thoughtfully and intentionally, rather than through repeated messages or reactive conversations.
Protect Children From Adult Disagreements
Children benefit when they are kept out of adult conflict. Mediation helps parents work through decisions without placing children in the middle.
Create Healthier Communication Patterns
Even small changes in how conversations happen can make a meaningful difference. Mediation supports clearer, forward-looking communication that prioritizes boundaries and respect.
Parents also receive guidance and resources to support healthier communication during and after mediation.
Our Process Guarantee
Our guarantee covers the quality of the process, not the outcome.
We guarantee that both the Individual Private Session and mediation will be conducted thoughtfully, safely, and with a child-centered focus. Parents can expect a structured process that prioritizes preparation, respectful communication, and careful attention to what matters most for their children.
While not every family will reach a full agreement, parents consistently leave the process with more clarity, a better understanding of their options, and a stronger foundation for moving forward.
Who This Process Is For
Is This the Right Fit for Your Family?
Parenting Plan Creation is designed for parents who want support creating a clear, child-centered parenting plan, whether they are at the beginning of a separation or divorce or are realizing later that a formal plan is needed.
This process can be especially helpful if you:
- want guidance as you think through parenting decisions before making an agreement
- feel unsure about where to start or what needs to be included in a parenting plan
- want support keeping conversations focused on your children
- are open to exploring options, even if reaching agreement feels difficult right now
- are mostly in agreement and want help carefully documenting your plan
You don’t need to have everything figured out before starting. Mediation is designed to support parents through uncertainty, differences, and difficult conversations in a structured and thoughtful way.