The response to my blog last Wednesday regarding Pauline Tessler’s comment that we shouldn’t be calling it Collaborative when it is on Zoom has been overwhelming.

Kathy Campbell, a Collaborative attorney in California writes: “Every collaborative case we have is different. Collaborative professionals empower and assist families in navigating and designing their desired outcome through the myriad of circumstances in which our clients find themselves. Our ability to do that in the midst of challenging dynamics is what sets us apart. My Collaborative colleagues have amazing capacity for adaptability and dexterity. That strength is showing up in the video conferences.”

Roxanne Permesly, a neutral facilitator from Florida writes: “The direct eye contact, for me, is the beauty of the format. It provides some ownership over the space and comfortable distance in establishing the dialog and rapport.”

Steve Kaplan writes: “I think part of our problem is being dogmatic as to what Collaborative is process-wise, rather than what it accomplishes.”

Shasha Porter, a MHP writes: “Surprisingly the meetings have worked well. I felt I was able to see things with my clients that I would not necessarily have seen in an in-person meeting: A hyper-activity/distraction-sensitive moving (on and off screen) on the part of a client in a joint Zoom meeting; the way a mother comforted an interrupting young child.

David A. Miller of Pittsburgh who wrote that he recently started and finished a case using Zoom in four meetings all during the lockdown. “It worked very well for that couple.”

And Patricia Gay of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada writes: “In some ways, Zoom has been less stressful for clients – they are in their own surroundings and are not “triggered” by the physical presence of the other party. I think virtual meetings are the way of the future.”

Check out other responses by CLICKING HERE.