Jacqueline has been in private practice for 25 years, helping individuals,  couples and families. She has extensive experience working with couples, separated families, blended families and rainbow families. She is considered a specialist in these areas and is a Lecturer in her field.

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In her clinical practice, Jacqueline has helped foster/adopted families with parenting and relationship problems. She is also experienced in working with birth families, case workers, foster and adoptive parents who are in a legal process.

 

She has run the parenting sessions for Rainbow Families, and many Rainbow families seek her expertise and support when it comes to making decisions about how to create a family.  Jacqueline has extensive knowledge about donor, surrogacy, foster and adoption processes.  She encourages all parties to attend sessions to ask questions, receive information, and get help to have those difficult conversations before making parenting decisions.

 

Jacqueline also has a special interest in working with post-separated families who are struggling with a child or teen who is off track or struggling with their mental health.  She is used to working alongside a legal process and strongly believes that helping ex partners to set up healthy communication and behaviour in the early stages of separation is vital to their children’s long term mental health outcomes.

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Jacqueline works with many different dynamics: currently she is a consultant for a number of of not for profit organisations who seek her expertise to support their case workers, counsellors and psychologists in working with families and couples both in Sydney and regional areas.  She is located in the Eastern Suburbs and has rooms in Woolloomooloo and Paddington.

A mediator’s job is about finding common ground and reopening communication channels, even when this may seem like an impossible task.

Valerie's understanding of the complex psychological issues associated with separation, family issues or work environments, gives Valerie an insight into the personalities and dynamics in the mediation room. Particulary with respect to same sex relationships. This enables her to deliver timely, balanced and thoughtful agreements. 

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Valerie is accredited by the Attorney Generals Department to provide Family Dispute Resolution and can issue Section 60I Certificates.

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She understands the emotional, practical and financial challenges of separation, together with with her knowledge of family law principles, results in her practice being one of the most effective providers of Family Dispute Resolution in the Sydney metropolitan area. She also works collaboratively with a range of professionals including, lawyers, financial advisers and counsellors to ensure the best outcomes are achieved.

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