As Michael Short descrbed so well in the Zone, The Age and SMH May 9 2011, there’s got to be a better way! for divorcing parents.
He speaks with Marguerite Picard, revolutionary divorce and family lawyer
to show that there is a better way than paying a fortune in the adversarial system.
Link to the article below.
TAOC can be particularly valuable for children, who are often caught in the middle of conflicts between their parents. Periods of parental relationship breakdown are associated with stress and behavioural problems in many children, especially if the parents seek to use children against each other,
TAOC means every child gets to have his or her say, regardless of their perceived status within the family. Parents often do not treat their children equally, often without realizing it. This can be related to gender, age, birth order or cultural norms. But it is important for all children to feel their experience is validated by getting a fair hearing.
When used in family counselling sessions, TAOC has led to improvements in children’s behavior and well-being, and participants have reported high levels of satisfaction.
In the midst of a relationship conflict or breakdown, it’s often difficult to say what we really mean – and to listen to what other family members are really saying. TAOC provides a safety valve by offering a structured way for the family to communicate at a difficult time.
by rajmahalblog | May 17, 2011 · 3:28 pm
The Art of Conversation 
My name’s Ceri Hewitt, I believe you met my grandmother on a train from London few months ago. She was very enthused by the Art of Conversation games you told her about and passed the one that you sent her to me to use. I teach a Year 7 Transition class (the 11 year olds as they come up from primary school). Every Friday afternoon we have done something circle time based and I started using the cards after Easter. I’ve used them every Friday since and with great success. Aside from anything the children love the topics that we discuss! I’ve found that introducing and recapping the rules at the start of every game good for setting the tone and as they all take a turn at player 1 they enjoy enforcing the rules. Its been great for getting them talking in a polite and respectful manner and for learning about taking turns. The topics have also been really good for picking up the themes and often lead to more discussion. They’re questioning skills have also deve
loped because they’re desperate to ask a really good question to whoever is answering! Overall, they’ve been really useful and I’m going to continue to use them with my new class in September.
Thanks very much, we’ve all enjoyed them greatly!
Ceri Hewitt