A parenting plan that actually works for your family.
For parents who need a structured conversation about schedules, responsibilities, communication, holidays, and school decisions, so the plan holds up long after the meeting ends.
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Your children will remember how you handled this.
Long after the schedule is settled, your kids will carry the memory of whether their parents could sit in the same room and still be kind. A parenting plan is not paperwork. It is the first proof that, even apart, the two of you are still on the same team when it comes to them.
Start with a private consultationParenting plan mediation is a structured conversation guided by a neutral mediator who helps parents agree on schedules, responsibilities, communication, holidays, and how future decisions will be made for their children. The mediator does not take sides or provide legal advice. The parents shape the plan themselves, with a calm structure that keeps the focus on what works for the children.
When parents are separating, or when an existing arrangement has stopped working, the details of everyday parenting can become a constant source of friction. Who has the children on which nights? What happens over the holidays? How are last-minute changes handled? When these questions are decided in the heat of an argument, the answers rarely stick, and the same conflicts repeat month after month.
Mediation replaces that pattern with a single, structured conversation. Both parents sit down with a neutral mediator whose job is to keep the discussion focused, fair, and centered on the children rather than on old grievances. Instead of reacting to each crisis as it comes, you build a clear plan in advance, so everyone knows what to expect and there is far less to argue about later.
A good parenting plan is not about winning more time. It is about writing down clear, practical answers to the questions that otherwise cause a fight every few weeks, so both parents and the children have stability they can count on.
Practical Family Mediation is led by Marissa Chen, J.D., a law-trained mediator focused on practical family dispute resolution. The practice provides mediation, not legal representation or legal advice, and parents are encouraged to consult independent attorneys about formalizing any parenting plan they reach.
What parenting plan mediation helps you work through
A strong parenting plan covers more than a calendar. Mediation gives each of these topics a calm, structured conversation:
- The regular schedule: where the children live, how weekdays and weekends are shared, and how transitions between homes are handled.
- Holidays and special occasions: how you will divide winter break, birthdays, school holidays, and family traditions from year to year.
- School decisions: choice of school, help with homework and activities, and how you will handle parent-teacher communication together.
- Day-to-day responsibilities: pickups, drop-offs, medical appointments, extracurriculars, and who covers what.
- Communication ground rules: how the two of you will share information, request changes, and reach each other in an emergency.
- Major decisions: how you will make bigger choices about health, education, and activities as the children grow.
You do not need to agree on all of it before you begin. Mediation is designed for parents who disagree; the process simply works through each topic in a setting built to keep the conversation calm and practical.
A clear path, from first call to practical next steps.
A brief look at the process. For a fuller walkthrough, see how mediation works.
Private consultation
A confidential first conversation to understand your situation and whether mediation is a fit.
Issue review
We identify the real issues and what each parent needs to feel the process is fair.
Session planning
We agree on how sessions will run so everyone knows what to expect.
Guided conversation
A structured, neutral discussion focused on the children and workable options.
Practical next steps
A clear parenting plan you can act on, and take to independent counsel if you choose.
Co-parenting mediation across the San Fernando Valley
Practical Family Mediation works with parents throughout the San Fernando Valley, including Sherman Oaks, Encino, Tarzana, Woodland Hills, Studio City, and Northridge, along with nearby Calabasas, Thousand Oaks, and communities across Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Sessions are arranged by appointment to fit around work and school schedules.
Parenting plan mediation, answered plainly.
Parenting plan mediation is a structured conversation guided by a neutral mediator who helps parents agree on schedules, responsibilities, communication, holidays, and how decisions will be made for their children. The mediator does not take sides or provide legal advice; the parents shape the plan themselves.
Yes. Parenting plan mediation is voluntary and works when both parents are willing to sit down and talk through the issues with a neutral mediator. It is built on both people participating and shaping the outcome together.
A mediated parenting plan is an understanding the parents reach together. Whether it becomes legally binding depends on the situation and any steps taken with independent counsel or the court. Practical Family Mediation provides mediation, not legal advice, and encourages parents to seek independent legal advice about formalizing a plan.
Often, yes. Beyond the schedule itself, mediation can help parents set practical ground rules for how they will communicate and make decisions going forward, which can reduce repeated conflict. Mediation is not therapy, but a calmer structure frequently helps day-to-day co-parenting.
Often part of the same conversation.
Divorce & Separation Mediation
Property, parenting, support-related conversations, and next steps, without turning every decision into a fight.
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Family Financial Mediation
Shared obligations and money decisions that often sit alongside parenting arrangements.
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Explore every area of mediation, from family finances to inheritance, elder care, and business.
Browse what we help withBuild a plan your children can count on.
A private consultation is a calm, confidential first step. We will talk through your situation and whether parenting plan mediation is the right fit.
Schedule a Private Consultation