Mark Batson Baril

If prior to 2020 someone had asked me if I zoom, I would have thought they were asking me about Zumba classes or about the 1970s children’s television show- to which my response would have been a hearty, “not only do I zoom but I zooma zoooma zooma zoom!”  Fifty years later, Zoom has become ubiquitous and for me, as a mediator, part of the fabric of my mediation practice.

When you enter custody mediation, your focus is most likely on creating a parenting schedule and dividing decision-making responsibility. However, there are several other topics to address at mediation that you won’t want to forget about. Claiming the child on taxes Parents often wait to figure out who will claim the child on taxes. By the time they get around to it, one parent has already claimed the child — often without permission.

It’s my job as a conflict advisor, mediator, and Boss Whisperer® coach to detect the disconnects within relationships that create destructive conflict and division in an organization. Sometimes I can see a conflict brewing that is more than a one-time personality clash between two people — it’s chronic behavior that needs addressing before it poisons the entire team or organization.