Parenting Plan Modification
When Life Changes, Your Parenting Plan Should Too
When a Plan No Longer Matches Real Life
Children grow. Schedules change. Work, school, activities, and communication needs evolve.
Parents often seek a parenting plan modification not because they want conflict, but because the current plan no longer reflects how their family actually lives.
Without a clear process for making changes, even small disagreements can become ongoing sources of conflict. Mediation gives parents a structured way to work through those changes and decide what makes sense for their family now.
What Can Be Modified Through Mediation
- parenting time and transitions
- holiday and vacation schedules
- transportation and logistics
- communication between parents
- decision-making responsibilities
- provisions for future changes as children grow
- related financial matters, such as child support, when appropriate
How We Begin
Before modification mediation begins, we meet privately with each parent for an Individual Private Session (IPS).
This gives each person an opportunity to talk about what isn’t working, what matters most right now, and where there may already be areas of agreement.
Taking this time before meeting together helps us better understand what needs attention and determine the best way to structure the mediation.
Fees & What to Expect
Mediation is billed at $150 per hour, per parent, based on the time used.
Because every family’s situation is different, the amount of time needed will vary. Some parents need help working through only one or two issues, while others want to revisit several parts of their parenting plan.
Beginning with an IPS allows us to understand the issues before mediation starts so that our time together can be used more intentionally.
During your free consultation, we’ll talk about your situation, answer your questions, and discuss what the mediation process may look like for your family.
- You can participate in mediation without an attorney.
- You can choose if and when to involve an attorney.
- An attorney can participate in mediation with you if you choose.
- You can consult with an attorney at any time or have them review your parenting plan before you file it.
Parenting Plan Modification focuses on parenting issues, including parenting time, decision-making, communication, transitions, and, when appropriate, related financial matters such as child support.
During your consultation, we can talk through how mediation typically works with or without attorneys and what approach may work best for your family.
Court proceedings can place personal family matters into a public forum. Mediation provides a more private setting for working through parenting plan changes and gives parents an opportunity to make decisions together.
Parenting Plan Modification FAQs
Questions about updating or modifying a parenting plan as life changes
No. Many parents use mediation to update only certain parts of their plan, such as schedules, communication, transitions, or decision-making.
This is a common reason parents turn to mediation. Resolving even a few important issues can make day-to-day co-parenting easier and help reduce ongoing conflict.
Yes. Parents can use mediation even if they have previously been to court. It gives them another way to work through new issues or changing circumstances together.