• in Cross-border Family Cases •

Birgitte Beelen

I started my professional career in language education and as a trainer in communication skills. Subsequently, I graduated in organisational psychology and special education theory and completed post-graduate courses in clinical psychology and child psychology at Groningen University, became systemic therapist in Couple and Family therapy and graduated in Médiation Familiale at the Paris X university in Nanterre.

Having worked at the Dutch Child Protection Agency, and served as Head of Treatment and Education at a juvenile penitentiary institution and as court expert in psychology for the International Criminal Court, I became manager in the domain of public mental healthcare. Then, some 20 years ago I established my own practice for psychology, mediation, coaching and training. This area of activity also covers training of and supervising on psychology subjects and mediation skills of psychologists, psychiatrists, medical doctors, lawyers, mediators, and social workers; besides I used to be a visiting lecturer in ‘system theory’ for the Family Mediation programme at the Paris X university.
Having gained in-depth experience in diagnosing and treating people of all ages as well as considerable experience in high conflict cases and in treatment of psychotrauma (EMDR Practitioner Europe), I became a Cross Border Mediator in 2008 and stood at the cradle of the Centre of International Child Abduction in The Netherlands and the NIM- European Network for Child Abduction.

What has intrigued me throughout all my years working in both child protection and mental health care is the importance of children and involving them in communication when it concerns matters that affect them. A crucial aspect of this is opening yourself up to your own vulnerability and approaching both the child and the parents with a gentle perspective. And that is challenging—especially when children and parents repeatedly display complex behavior that gets under your skin, requiring you to continuously adapt without losing patience or (unintentionally) reinforcing the child’s or parent’s negative self-image. This truly requires special skills, particularly in high-conflict cases such as Cross-Border Mediation. Through both conversations with children and specific CBM cases, I have built up significant expertise that I am eager to share.
I am frequently asked as a speaker at lectures and trainings across Europe and I really do like it to share different cultural perspectives.

Lisa Parkinson

Lisa is a grandmother in family mediation, as well as in her own family. 45 years ago, she co-founded the first family mediation centre in the UK and a few years later, helped to set up the first national association of family mediators with a Code of Practice and training programme. Lisa drew from her experience in mental health social work and family therapy to develop a family systems approach to mediation with separated couples, parents and carers, rather than settlement-seeking mediation focused on adult negotiations without considering the child’s right to be heard. Parental conflict harms children’s well-being and development, especially where there is litigation and continuing dispute. Together with five family lawyers in London, Lisa launched a pilot project in 1986 to extend mediation from child-related issues to all issues, including finance and property.

The Family Mediators Association was founded in 1988 (Lisa was appointed director and now a Vice-President), providing cross-disciplinary training in co-mediation on all issues. As a founder member of the European Forum on Family Mediation and World Mediation Forum, Lisa has taken part in conferences and given mediation training in many countries including Argentina, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the US. The 4^th English edition of

her book, Family Mediation, was published in 2020, with seven editions in other languages. Now retired from mediation practice, Lisa continues to give training mainly in child-inclusive mediation (ChiM – children in mediation), so that children and young people can be offered the opportunity to talk with a ChiM-qualified mediator, if they wish, and have their views and suggestions taken into account by their parents. Arrangements agreed within the family work better and last longer than a court order. In 2022 Lisa was delighted to win the National Mediation Significant Achievement Award.

Konstanze Welz

Konstanze Welz An interculturalist by birth, building bridges has always been at the heart of my work. I have spent nearly two decades connecting creative and economic forces between Germany and Asia for the German film industry. A severe illness became a turning point, leading me to a more personal mission—helping families navigate conflict across cultures and borders. Engaging with families allowed me to blend my professional expertise with the personal insights gained from my own family’s complex journey across three continents.

I trained as a transformative and cross-border family mediator. My professional training in trauma recovery coaching and traumatic stress studies has given me powerful insights into childhood trauma and how it shapes a person’s behavior later in life.

I split my time between my three countries – Germany, India and the US – dedicated to helping families like mine make the best possible choices for their children so that they can maintain an active relationship with both parents and stay connected beyond borders.

Contact: 

Jill Goldson

Jill Goldson is Director of The Family Matters Centre in Auckland.

She is a renowned and multiply award-winning therapeutic mediator with specialist expertise in complex family disputes, particularly those involving parent–child contact issues.

Jill has more than 35 years of experience working with families across the UK and Australasia and holds extensive qualifications and awards. For a decade, she served as a senior lecturer and curriculum designer for undergraduate tertiary programmes in counselling and social work.

She has published academically (publications available on request) and, in 2025, published the book Child Inclusion in Parenting Dispute Mediation: The Key to Keeping Family Separation Out of Court. The book has been well received and has since been translated into Spanish and Ukrainian.

As a consultant to the New Zealand Ministry of Justice on family justice reform in 2019, Jill’s work in child-inclusive practice and her advocacy contributed to an amendment to New Zealand family law through the Family Court (Supporting Children in Court) Act 2021, which introduced changes to out-of-court processes.

Her many honours include a Churchill Fellowship. Jill is regularly invited to present papers both internationally and within New Zealand, gives media interviews, and continues to train colleagues while running courses for parents and families. She also maintains an active clinical practice and frequently receives referrals on complex cases from legal professionals.

For further information or enquiries:

• Website: The Family Matters Centre
• Email:  

Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome

Ischtar Khalaf-Newsome is Head of Advisory Services and Co-CEO of MiKK e.V. – International Mediation Centre for Family Conflict and Child Abduction in Berlin. She is a cross-border family mediator, family lawyer and trainer. Prior to joining MiKK in 2014 she practiced family law with Dawson Cornwell, a London based family law firm specializing in international family law and child abduction cases. Before then, Ischtar was a case manager at the child abduction NGO Reunite International in London. She completed her Legal Studies at BPP University Law School, London. She holds a Master’s Degree (MA) in Near & Middle Eastern Studies, Arabic and Islamic Law (SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London and an MA in German, English & Teacher Training from the Freie Universität (FU, Berlin). Ischtar qualified as a mediator with the Family Mediators Association (FMA, London) and with Inmedio (Multi-Track Peace Mediation, Berlin). She trained in Child Inclusive Mediation (FMA). She is a MiKK Cross-border Family Mediation (CBFM) Core Trainer (Berlin, Singapore) and has conceived and provided diverse workshops and trainings in this field (i.e. for Academy of European Law, ERA and the European Judicial Training Network, EJTN). She has co-developed and implemented EU co-financed projects for MiKK (AMICABLE, LEPCA II, Voice) and projects co-financed by the German Ministry of Justice (BMJ), presented at the EU Parliament, Legal Affairs Committee, the Malta Working Group Meetings and the Malta Process Conferences (Malta V and Malta IV) of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Ischtar is Co-editor of Cross-border Family Mediation. International Parental Child Abduction, Custody and Access Cases (Paul, Kiesewetter, Khalaf-Newsome, 3rd updated and expanded edition, Wolfgang Metzner Publishing, Oct. 2023) in which she co-wrote the chapter on Mediation in Non-Hague Muslim countries and on CBFM Training. She is the author of the chapter on cross-border family mediation in Research Handbook on International Child Abduction. 1980 Hague Convention. Edward Elgar Family Law Series. (Freeman &Taylor eds., Edward Elgar Publishing, June 2023) and has published articles in The Family Law Journal, Spektrum der Mediation and Die (Wirtschafts)Mediation.

Contact: 

Veneta Ivanova

Veneta Ivanova is a psychologist and psychotherapist with extensive experience in working with children, families, and complex relational dynamics. She specialized in Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy at the World Association for Positive and Transcultural Psychotherapy in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Veneta is a certified family mediator and cross-border family mediator, as well as a mediation trainer with more than 10 years of experience in training professionals and facilitating mediation processes. She is also a court-appointed expert witness for the Regional Court of Varna, Bulgaria, conducting psychological assessments and child and family hearings.

Her professional expertise includes Child-Inclusive Mediation, for which she holds specialized certification, and she is deeply committed to promoting child participation and well-being in family dispute resolution.

Beyond her practice, Veneta is the founder and author of a range of books and educational resources designed to support children and families. She is also the founder of Peacemaker Academy NGO , an innovative initiative aimed at implementing mediation practices at all levels of the Bulgarian educational system.