Technology That Builds Agreements – Setting Parents Up for Success Beyond Mediation

presented by Racheal Howitz and Rebecca Perra

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM Eastern (9:00 -10:00 AM Pacific)

Non-Member Registration

About the Webinar

I. Introduction & Framing the Issue

Goal: Emphasize how structured communication supports families and leads to more durable mediation outcomes.

Key Points:

• The communication breakdown cycle: how tone, timing, and disorganization fuel conflict.
• The mediator’s unique role in shaping communication habits that last beyond sessions.
• Common challenges: high-conflict personalities, trauma, and emotional reactivity.
  Interactive Prompt:
  “What’s the most common communication issue you see between co-parents in mediation?”

II. Integrating Structured Communication Tools into Mediation Practice
Goal: Show how mediators can ethically and effectively introduce communication platforms to reduce tension and promote clarity.

Discussion Points:

• Clarity and Accountability: Clear, timestamped reports can help eliminate “he said/she said” disputes, reducing misunderstandings and emotional escalation. This supports more productive mediation sessions and smoother agreement building.
• Trauma-Informed Awareness: Recognize the emotional load parents bring into mediation and use structured communication tools to reduce reactivity.
• Ethical Framing:
  o Neutrality: Present technology as a resource, not a directive.
  o Confidentiality: Keep mediation content and app communications clearly separate.
  o Competence: Stay informed about platforms frequently ordered or recommended by courts.

Activity Option (Short Discussion): “Email vs. Structured Communication”
Purpose: Illustrate how unstructured exchanges escalate conflict and how structured platforms restore clarity.
Step 1 – Unstructured Communication Example:
Visual: simple anonymized email thread.
Parent A: “You’re always late picking up Emma. I can’t believe you’re this irresponsible again!”
Parent B: “Maybe if you didn’t change the schedule last minute, this wouldn’t happen. Stop playing the victim.”

Mediator Prompts:

• What do you notice about tone, assumptions, and escalation?
• How might a mediator or judge interpret this if shown later?
  (Expected responses: accusatory tone, missing context, emotional escalation, no timestamps.)

Transition to Structured Tools:
Show how ToneMeter AI flags emotionally charged words before sending, helping parents create calmer, more neutral messages.

III. Demonstration: OurFamilyWizard in Action
Goal: Demonstrate how structured tools can prepare parents for mediation and improve outcomes both in mediation and beyond.

Demo Highlights:

• Messaging + ToneMeter AI: Flags tone concerns before sending; messages are time-stamped and un-editable.
• Calendar: Tracks parenting time, events, and transitions—reduces “he said/she said.”
• Expense Log: Transparent reimbursements; simplifies compliance with parenting plan timelines.
• Calls: Secure voice/video (recorded or unrecorded options).
• Journal: Moments & Check-Ins: Clarifies exchanges and minimizes misunderstandings.
• Practitioner Access: Demonstrate how professionals can view without compromising neutrality.

IV. Integrating Structured Communication into Mediation Practice
Goal: Provide practical strategies for mediators to apply these tools ethically.
Application Tips:

1. Introducing Apps in Session:
   Use neutral phrasing: “Some families find that using a structured communication app helps reduce stress and confusion.”
2. Improved Agreement Rates:
   Clear records and fewer misunderstandings lead to faster resolutions.
3. Sample Order Language:
   “Parents shall communicate regarding the child(ren) through OurFamilyWizard.” Highlight the model order language
4. Fee Waiver Program: Ensures cost is never a barrier. Free accounts are available for lower income parents or survivors of Domestic Violence thus supporting equitable access and balanced participation in mediation. Describe the current work with court mediation programs and how we assist their lower income parents/litigants.
5. Using Records Later:
   Authenticated, time-stamped reports can reduce future disputes. They are also available if the parents return for post-judgment mediation.
   Mini Discussion:
   “When might you suggest structured communication to help parents maintain stability post-agreement?”

V. Ethics & Best Practices
Goal: Reinforce mediator ethics and professional standards.

Summary:

• Confidentiality – OurFamilyWizard data is visible only to approved users or by court order.
• Neutrality – Offer resources without directing outcomes.
• Competence – Stay up to date on digital tools commonly referenced in family and dependency court.

VI. Q&A and Resources
Goal: Reinforce learning and provide next steps.

Content:

• Open Q&A and reflection.
• Provide sample order language, fee-waiver info, and professional access links and information.
• Encourage continued dialogue on integrating structured communication into mediation practice.

About the Presenter

Racheal Howitz

Racheal has been a professional liaison for the OurFamilyWizard® website since 2016. Her role includes educating Judges, lawyers, and other family law professionals, across the US and internationally, on the online tools that can be utilized to benefit and monitor the parental communication process in family law cases. She is the current president of AFCC Minnesota and on several committees and is a qualified neutral in MN.

Rebecca Perra

Rebecca Perra is an attorney licensed in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator in both Family and Dependency Law. She also holds a micro-credential in AI Prompt Engineering from Purdue University.

As the Judicial and Legal Education Coordinator for OurFamilyWizard, Rebecca partners with judges, attorneys, mediators, and other family law professionals nationwide to promote effective communication and accountability in co-parenting. Through her educational programs, she demonstrates how structured technology tools can reduce conflict, enhance transparency, and support better outcomes for families navigating high-conflict cases.

Time and Place

Wednesday, December 10, 2025
12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM Eastern (9:00-10:30 AM Pacific)

Cost

Free for APFM Members, $50 for Non-Members.

More Information about the Webinar

Only APFM members and paid attendees will receive an email with instructions on how to log into the webinar, to be held using the services of zoom.us. If you are uncertain about the status of your APFM membership, log into the APFM website to check it. Help logging in is available here: https://apfmnet.org/website-help/.

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Confirmed APFM members and paid registrants will be sent information on how to login to the webinar. Additional confirmed participants will be sent login information after registration and prior to the webinar. For webinar access questions, please contact [email protected]. Please note that it may not be possible to provide immediate assistance on the day of the webinar.