Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone (or something) anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself -Deborah Reber

When a couple separates, it can be a very emotional and stressful time for both parties. However, this is also a transitional time where many decisions need to be made for things to run as smooth as possible especially if there are children involved. The goal of mediation is to this process as painless as possible.

Step 1: Both parties need to be willing to participate in mediation.

Step 2: Both parties need to attend their own 1-hour initial assessment to determine whether mediation is appropriate for your situation and to go through the information needed for mediation to be successful.

Step 3: Gathering the information that's required for mediation.

Step 4: Attend mediation sessions with an open mind. The success of mediation is up to both parties and their willingness to come to an agreement.

Step 5: Once agreements have been reached, the mediator will write up a report that can be taken to your lawyers to be made into an official separation agreement.

If changes need to be made to the mediation report within a year, another mediation session can be booked to make those changes. If it has been longer than a year, then both parties will have to attend initial assessments again.

• Since July 1, 2022, in Saskatchewan family court, it is mandatory to participate in mediation prior to court proceedings. There are exemptions to this stipulation for domestic violence but they need to be approved by the court system.
• In mediation, the mediator will not be giving any legal advice to either party.  if legal advice is required (which is encouraged but not mandatory), they can give you information about the laws and regulations that may be pertinent to your circumstances.
• Mediation is voluntary so this means at any time if one of the parties no longer wants to participate, they will not be forced to do so. 
• Mediation is meant to help parties come to an agreement. We pride ourselves in successful mediations and want to complete it with the least amount of sessions needed, saving you time and money.
• Fight Fair Counselling and Mediation Services only provides closed mediation and therefore, will not attend litigations. The mediator will create a mediation report of the agreements made in mediation which will given to each participant, and that's the completion of services. 

Initial Assessments have fees of $140/each including taxes

Mediations sessions are $500/per session including taxes but are split into equal payments of $250 for each of the parties. 

Typically, there are 4 two-hour sessions needed in a successful mediation. However there may be more required if parties aren't willing to come to an agreement. No more than 10 sessions would be provided. Therefore, mediation can cost each party a total between $1,140 to $2640. 

What do you get out of mediation:

• You will receive materials to help guide you through the process and if parties come to agreement on any issue, they will be given a mediation report composed of those agreements
• You will be guided and encouraged to practice good co-parenting and communication skills
• You will save money in the litigation process
• There will be less stress and time spent on disagreements
• It will help you pass through this transitional phase quicker and save money in the process

In Saskatchewan, the typical separation legal fees according to the Canadian Lawyer Magazine (2021), can be anywhere from $1,583 for a simple separation agreement without kids involved to over $25,000 if the case goes to trial. Therefore, mediation can save your family money in legal fees as well as time needed to take off work and such.

Not going through mediation can have an impact on relationships and even create a feeling from those outside of the relationship, including any children involved to feel that they have to pick sides. When people are forced to pick sides, no one wins in the end and it can deteriorate any remaining relationships.

If there are children, the effects of constant disputes between their caregivers can be detrimental, especially if one or both of the parties are putting down the other in front of the child. This can put the child's relationship with both parents at risk, and it can lead to developmental delays or even mental health concerns.