Developmentally informed, trauma responsive mental health supports and dispute resolution services in the beautiful and peaceful Adelaide Hills.
Email: admin@lotuscreekpsychology.com
Fax: +61(0)8 5117 3179
Psychology and Mediation
"Peace begins with a smile."
Mother Teresa
Collaborative facilitation
Collaborative Facilitators guide separating couples through the divorce process with less acrimony and adversity, which reduces harmful toxic stress and develops a more effective parenting relationship post-separation. Nick is accredited member of the Australian Association of Collaborative Professionals and is an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Attorney-General's Office. Nick has over twenty years of international commercial experience running complex multi-party co-operative programs and has post-graduate training in advanced negotiation.
Conflict coaching
Conflict coaches provide confidential, one-on-one, strengths-based conflict management support. Conflict coaching builds the client’s awareness of self and their ability to better manage the conflict. It is either used stand-alone or as a pre-cursor to mediation in forums such as workplaces, families, business partnerships and collaborative practice. Nick is a certified conflict coach with lived experience of high conflict divorce. He advocates for non-adversarial ways to keep families out of court and protect children from the traumatising effects of litigation.
Family mediation
Family mediation is a specialised and highly regulated field of dispute resolution. Nick is an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Attorney-General's office. Nick has a post-graduate diploma in FDRP and a Masters in Dispute Resolution with a specialisation in juvenile studies. Nick can facilitate parenting plans and property settlements. In the event that mediation fails, Nick can issue Section 60i certificates so that the couples may progress to family court. Nick promotes a child-focused, trauma-informed approach to his mediations.
Elder mediation
Elder mediation facilitates future care planning for a vulnerable elder, or manages conflict arising from disagreements on the interpretation of an Advanced Care Directive and/or an Enduring Power of Attorney. Elder mediation seeks to bring the voice of the elder person into the room and focuses on their best interests. Increasingly elder mediation involves child alienation, where a grandchild may be estranged from the elder person. Nick is an Advanced Certificate Candidate with the International Elder Mediation Network, a Board member of the Elder Mediation Australasian Network, and is an elder mediator for the Office of the Public Advocate.
Child-inclusive mediation
Child-inclusive mediation brings the voice of the child into the room and is a very effective approach for managing parenting disputes. Nick works collaboratively with his wife, Niamh, who is a highly experienced clinic psychologist. Niamh provides her psychological services to the Department of Child Protection and has worked in school counselling and CAHMS settings. Nick and Niamh offer a unique trauma-informed service that allows the parents to hear the needs of the children articulated through the lens of an experienced child psychologist and a mediator trained in child protection. This is a very effective approach for high conflict families, where trust between the parents is broken.
Commercial mediation
Commercial mediation helps businesses avoid costly and time consuming litigation. It is especially helpful when the parties need to rebuild relationships to allow for the efficient ongoing operation of a venture. Nick has over thirty years of international business experience and is an award winning entrepreneur and tourism marketer. Nick enjoys helping small businesses to make wise decisions in conflict situations, which help to grow the venture. Nick is a nationally accredited mediator, a professional member of the Resolution Institute, and has masters-level training in advanced negotiation, leadership, business strategy and human resource management.
Group Family Conferencing
Group Family Conferencing is a family-led decision-making process, which focuses on the needs of the child. Based on traditional Māori justice, Group Family Conferencing has become increasingly used in Australia for restorative dispute resolution. Nick has been trained in Family Group Conferencing and brings this to his work with extended families in elder mediation. As a foster parent and respite carer, Nick has a passion for helping children in out-of-home-care find their voice and reduce conflict with foster or kinship carers.
Our dispute resolution process
01. Intake
Reach out to us for a confidential and free discussion to triage your needs and to design the best fit solution.
02. Coach
One or more pre-mediation conflict coaching sessions prepares you for a successful mediation.
04. Agree
We help you prepare a draft agreement, which can be converted into a binding agreement buy you lawyers.
05. Coordinate
Our post-mediation supports help you maintain the agreement and sustain respectful communication.
Please contact us, if you have any queries about our services.
