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With 17 years combined experience and hundreds of satisfied clients in family mediation, Hillary, Tess and Marli decided to pool their shared vision and individual strengths into Resolution Mediation in August, 2023. We are dedicated to empowering couples to take hold of the decisions that shape their lives and helping them plan the best outcome for all affected.
Whether you seek to reshape the marriage you have, to move through divorce as peacefully and fairly as possible, or to adjust old parenting plans to meet current needs–we stand ready to help you achieve your goals.
Resolution Mediation was born out of the conviction that families should never end up in court. Believing the adversarial process is the worst arena for trying to settle family issues, Hillary and Tess seek to provide the security of a legal process in a setting that gives decision-making power to the people who must live the decisions.
Instead of pitting spouses against each other, we help clients find solutions that meet their joint and individual needs. Clients use the financial resources built during the marriage to provide financial security for both moving forward. They craft parenting plans that nurture and protect ongoing relationships with both parents. They make decisions on areas unique to their family–such as family business or farm, navigating extended family relationships, and adjusting to changes in lifestyle. In all this we help couples lay a secure foundation for life after divorce.
We guide couples through each stage of divorce from initial filing to final agreements–and all the steps in-between. Private. Protected. Peaceful. People move from what isn’t working to shaping a life that will.
Attorney-Mediator
Growing up, Tess often felt unwanted and unknown in her own home. She married young–hoping to create the kind of connection she wanted growing up. But, as often happens, she married someone much like from home. Instead of life with her best friend, over time she felt increasingly alone. Which gave her a passion for working with those who feel lonely and unwelcome in their own homes.
When people find their marriages simply can’t work, Tess uses mediation to help them navigate divorce or separation to create two separate homes. Homes where they feel welcome and valued. For couples, who want to stay married but need a change to make the marriage work–she offers couple’s mediation. This process helps couples resolve the conflicts coming between them and transform the home they have.
Tess entered mediation after serving as the Executive Director of the Indiana Commission for Continuing Legal Education. Tess worked with the CLE board to develop the training requirements for mediators. In the process, she fell in love with mediation. Especially in the family realm, Tess saw the opportunity for mediation to help families work through issues cooperatively and make decisions tailored to their unique needs and desires. It offered a way to divorce without destroying each other.
More, she saw mediation offered the opportunity for couples to move beyond merely focusing on legal issues to proactively addressing all the areas divorce impacts—finances, parenting, business, community, lifestyle. Couples create a sure foundation moving into post-divorce life.
As a mom of eight, Tess knows conflict! In “mediating” who got the last cookie or which sibling was at fault for the most recent scuffle, Tess honed her skills on helping those she cared about work through conflict. Conflict should never tear people apart. Instead, she seeks to help people find answers for tough situations while also protecting their relationships.
Tess combines her undergraduate degree (in psychology, biology, and sociology) with her training as a mediator-attorney to guide clients through conflict to resolution. Clients create agreements that meet the needs of all affected. Instead of the divorce tearing people apart, Tess helps clients craft a path from what isn’t working to what will. In the process, they save their family, their finances, and their future.
When not working, Tess loves spending time with her growing family, reading a great mystery (Louise Penney, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie are favorites!), kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, gardening, and a great conversation over wine and snacks.
Mediator
If you asked Hillary what one word she would hope others would use to describe her, it would be “Peacemaker” — not to be confused with “Peacekeeper.” Peacemaking actively confronts conflict and tension, whereas peacekeeping avoids conflict to maintain peace. No matter the conflict type, Hillary works passionately as a Mediator to tackle and ultimately resolve conflict by first identifying the issues, discerning the underlying interests of all involved, and finally determining solutions that address the issues AND accommodates the interests.
Before family mediation, Hillary worked extensively in Human Resources for a large construction and mining company at the business unit and corporate level. Interestingly, Hillary encountered the exact two job requirements in every role she worked within the company — conflict management and resolution.
Through her corporate and educational experience, Hillary discovered a passion for solving problems and resolving conflicts in ways that establish positive relationships, thus beginning her path to becoming a mediator.
In 2018, Hillary graduated from Abilene Christian University with a master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation. As part of her practicum work within her master’s program, she had the opportunity to teach conflict resolution and mediation skills to college-level students in South Africa. The class focused on resolving disputes in various settings, including family, church, workplace, and community.
Shortly after attending the 40-Hour Domestic Relations Mediation Training and becoming a registered mediator, Hillary was fortunate enough to shadow the mediation style of Tess Worrell. This experience led to her desire to work with Tess in starting Resolution Mediation.
Resolution Mediation’s approach to mediating allow Hillary to serve others on a personal level in helping to resolve conflict without destruction to the relationship.
Mediator
Have a question?
People going through divorce often feel like they are stepping off a cliff. They are keenly aware they don’t know what they don’t know. We offer answers in a process that protects people, preserves assets, and provides a way forward.
Call 317-793-0825 or contact us here.