Family mediation is a service that allows former partners to take stock of their separation and, most importantly, establish a new foundation for their respective realities, which are now very different, without having to go to court. This process helps former partners negotiate an amicable agreement in the best interest of all family members. The service empowers each person to have a say in decisions that affect them and their children, while promoting better adjustment for everyone involved.

Who is this service for?

Our services are intended for former partners, with or without children, who wish to reach an initial agreement or to review a previous agreement or court judgment following a separation. Mediation can begin early in the separation process, while the partners are still living together, or later, after they have already taken steps to formalize their separation or if the separation occurred several months or years ago. Mediation services are available to both married couples and those living in common-law relationships.

Family mediation specifically allows you to reach an agreement on:

• Custody and access arrangements for the children;
• Visitation or outing rights;
• Child support paid for the children or for one of the partners;
• Division of property and family assets

At the end of the mediation process, the mediator must provide the former partners with a summary of the agreements, which contains in writing the points on which they have agreed. This document is neither a judgment nor a contract, and it may or may not be legalized, depending on the needs of the former partners. To give the summary of agreements legal value, the former partners must jointly take steps after mediation to have it approved by the court. They can do this themselves or appoint a lawyer or notary to handle it.

What are the fees associated with family mediation?

Parents of dependent children have access to the subsidy from the Quebec Ministry of Justice, which includes:

• Five free hours are provided for a first consultation in family mediation

• Two and a half free hours are provided in the case of a request to review a previous judgment or agreement

   

Service offered at the Terrebonne Clinic

This service is offered at the Terrebonne Clinic by Marie-Josée Faubert. Ms. Faubert holds a bachelor’s degree in psychoeducation obtained in 2006 and is a registered member of the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ) as well as the Association des médiateurs familiaux du Québec (AMFQ).