PRESS RELEASE: Convergence – A Brand New Separation System to avoid the time, costs and emotional drain of Court.

Getting a legal separation is stressful at the best of times and court costs are increasing each year. Legal fees (with many lawyers charging between $350 and $650 an hour) can add to your pain when you are already under duress. Currently it takes from twelve to eighteen months, on average, to get a simple case through the legal system. More complex cases can take up to three years.
“Knowing that this is time our clients never get back, I knew we had to start offering them a better option,” says Donna Cameron, a psychologist working in Robina, Queensland. So she has developed a way to make the whole process less stressful. Her new approach to mediation is called Convergence. It empowers clients to take control of their separations without involving lawyers who can too often inflame the conflict.
Cameron knows the plight of which she speaks. During her 17 years with the Couch Therapy Group in Robina, she has been involved with the Family Court System, helping clients navigate their ways through marital breakups and writing family reports for custody issues.
She has personally witnessed the impact the court system has on people and says it is often impossible to for a couple to make decisions together on important issues such as children and finances.
“During separation it is normal to drift away quickly from your ex-partner and head down a different path,” she explains. “Your emotions can influence your decisions when you are hurt and angry.”
She said her clients were working all their lives to create security for their family and their retirement, but these funds were being eaten up by the legal system if they happened to be in the 50 percent of the population who were going through a separation. Added to this was the impact on their mental health, the stress of the documentation, and having every part of their lives on public display.
“Some people never recover after this experience and our health system is paying for it,” Cameron said.
The aim of Convergence is to give clients the best chance of reaching agreement on their separation issues. It provides all the resources they need under one roof, and supportive staff work exclusively with each couple for a fortnight to help them reach their own agreement. The idea is to achieve a plan together, without incurring the usual costs of the legal system.
“The fighting can stop and you can both be heard in a caring environment,” Cameron says. “Your decisions are always your own, but we can help you interpret all the information the experts provide to you.”
So how does it work? First, there is an initial session with a Family Consultant. At this time the other experts required for the family’s situation will be identified. The Family Consultant then organizes all of the appointments and is present on the day of the mediation session, which is chaired by an accredited mediator. That person and the Family Consultant will stay with the clients the whole day. If they cannot reach an agreement, or if they do but then wish to move this matter into the court system, they are provided with a certificate facilitating this. They will be sent the agreement which they themselves can file in the court system to save legal costs.
“If you would like a lawyer for this final step, we can recommend one,” Cameron says. “So your time with Convergence is not wasted.”
She is passionate about the new mediation approach, believing that the more people who can be spared the costly and emotionally draining court system, the better.
More information about Convergence is available from the website, www.effectiveseparationsolutions.com or Cameron can be contacted directly on [email protected]