Apr 20 2010
The Importance of Progress Notes
The last six months have been so busy with new divorce mediations and collaborative divorce cases that I’ve totally blown my goal of monthly posts on this website. Website visitors last heard from me as the autumn winds were blowing. Now the decks are getting cleared just as spring is in full bloom and summer is around the corner. It’s time to share some learnings from this busy time in my professional life as a peacemaker.
If this is your first time on my website, you should know that during successive two hour meetings with me as their mediator, divorcing couples address the myriad issues to be resolved in their parenting plans, child support, and financial settlements. Between sessions, they are responsible for homework such as completing a parenting plan questionnaire, valuing a house, or gathering tax returns. With a few new mediations beginning every month, I found it easier to keep good notes and resort to emails to remind clients of their homework between sessions. Collaborative cases utilize an organized team approach so this is not an issue.
With six new divorce mediations and one collaborative case beginning in a single week last fall, I quickly realized that I needed to gear up to keep myself and my clients organized and informed of (1) new information shared at each mediation session, (2) new homework to be accomplished between sessions, and (3) the agenda for our next meeting.
Progress Notes, which are commonly used in the collaborative divorce process, proved to be the answer to my search. Simply put, Progress Notes are ideally emailed within a few days of the mediation session. The document is typically 3-4 pages in length and divided into sections entitled:
- What We Accomplished,
- Homework,
- Proposed Agenda for the Next Session,
- High End Goals, and
- Date/Time for the next Mediation.
Progress Notes serve a number of very useful purposes. Starting with the last session’s accomplishments reminds the parties that they are making progress toward an out of court divorce settlement. Their interim agreements are there in black and white. Moreover, the mediator has time to reflect on the substance of the just-concluded session and comment/raise questions on the potential ramifications of interim decisions, e.g., possible tax impacts). Each spouse can check off homework for which he or she is responsible. As the next session approaches, both spouses are forewarned as to the proposed agenda. The mediator can prepare better. There are no surprises.
There are also indirect benefits from the use of Progress Notes—reminding my clients, for example, of their high end goals from mediation, and reinforcing my admonition about talking “between sessions” about finances and other touchy topics. More on the indirect benefits in my next post. Please stay tuned.
