A Space to Learn, Reflect & Feel Ready
Real answers to real questions about separation, co-parenting, and family mediation.
Sometimes the best way to understand family mediation is to simply hear it explained, honestly, clearly, and with care. Trina Dennie, Accredited Family Mediator and founder of Fairhaven Family Mediation, shares insight on the moments that matter most: the hard conversations, the turning points, and everything in between. Whether you’re just exploring mediation or already in the process, these videos are here to help you feel informed and less alone.
When You're Co-Parenting with Someone You Don't Trust
Trust is often one of the first things broken in a separation, and it doesn’t magically return. But co-parenting still has to happen. In this video, Trina explains how clear agreements, documentation, and healthy boundaries can help you build a functional parenting relationship, even without full trust. You’re not rebuilding a partnership. You’re building something new.
When a Parent Chooses to
Step Back
One of the hardest situations Trina sees in family mediation is when a parent chooses less custody time, less communication, and less presence. It’s painful for children and for the parent left carrying more. In this video, Trina offers an honest truth: you can’t make someone show up. But you can create safety and stability around their absence.
The Conversation Every Parent Fears "And Needs to Have"
There are conversations in every separation that feel almost impossible to start. In this video, Trina speaks honestly about the dialogue most parents dread but can’t afford to avoid — and how a structured, neutral mediation process creates the space to finally have it. Avoiding hard conversations rarely protects anyone, especially children.
The Moment That Tells You
Mediation Is Working
When clients ask Trina how they’ll know if mediation is actually working, she tells them to watch for one thing: the moment “You always…” becomes “Help me understand…” That shift from blame to curiosity is the foundation everything else is built on. And when it happens, it’s a sign a family is going to be okay.
Listening to Your Children Without Burdening Them
Children have feelings and preferences during a family separation — and those absolutely matter. But in this video, Trina draws an important line: hearing your children’s needs is not the same as making them responsible for adult decisions. Their voice should inform the choices you make, not determine them. Because protecting children means keeping them out of the middle, even while keeping them close.
The Question Every Mediator
Asks
There’s one question Trina asks in nearly every session — and it stops people every time. “What do you want your children to remember about how you handled this?” It shifts the entire conversation. Because in family mediation, the decisions you make matter — but so does how you made your children feel along the way.
Follow Along on Social Media
Trina shares regular tips and insights on family mediation, co-parenting, and child-focused dispute resolution. Follow Fairhaven Family Mediation on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for more.