When Danica set out to change her world in 2001, she didn’t let anything discourage her. Immersed in a volatile divorce process, of over five years of court hearings, domestic violence accusations, investigations by child services, and psychological evaluations, Danica knew that her situation was a desperate one.

She endured rejection from her children and was ostracized by her community. However, she never lost sight of what was at stake, which was her commitment to restoring her relationship with her children. During that time, she became familiar with Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS), a syndrome in which a parent alienates a child from the other parent through conscious and subconscious techniques, like brainwashing, in an attempt to denigrate the other parent and cut the child’s ties with her. This concept, introduced by Richard A. Gardner, in 1985, is often not recognized by judges, teachers, and other decision-makers in a custody dispute.

Danica is a Certified Family Mediator with the Florida Supreme Court, a Guardian Ad Litem, the author of Florida’s Family Stabilization Parent Education Curriculum, a Personal Custody Coach and founder of Kids Need Both, Inc. She’s devoted her life to guiding families, through coaching, education, and resources, to find workable, equitable, solutions to their custody conflicts. Her model includes educating professionals in the custody field, thus completing the circle of stakeholders, who will be empowered to find the best solutions for all. She continues to seek opportunities to collaborate with organizations that will support her model, and bring global healing to families. 

Petza & Kaldi Mediation has over 21 years of combined mediation experience assisting people in crisis with their decision-making process. Any crisis involves a complex web of diverse and competing issues. Susan Petza & Dorothy Kaldi, Esq. are qualified mediators, who are able to assist parties in conflict by helping them untangle and address their different concerning issues to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution.

Locations: Greater New York area / Florida / Remote Mediation

We speak: Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Hungarian

Even if you have ended your marriage or were never married, if you have children, you are CO-PARENTS forever. Though the divide between you may seem as wide as the Grand Canyon, change is possible.

Get beyond the conflict and the pain of divorce or separation. Learn to make peaceful transitions for your kids from one parent’s home to the other by treating the other parent as a business partner. Using reflective listening, effective communication, respect, and a mutually agreed-upon parenting plan, together you can maintain a peaceful, loving environment for your children. The instructor is a family mediator and a Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 in the State of Minnesota.

Do you have a difficult ex? Are your transitions fraught with stress and tension? There are ways to create LESS STRESS and MORE PEACE in your life as a divorced parent. Want to find out more about transformative mediation and whether it’s right for you?