The primary goal for mandatory mediation in Norway is to assist separating parents in making arrangements for the care of their children. It belongs to a chain of other interventions for separating families in this country. Key concepts including «mandatory», «mediation» and «breakup» are defined and briefly discussed. International and national research on mediation as an intervention is summarized: Mediated agreement is preferable to a court-decided one in most cases, as long as the strategies are adapted to each couple and their situation. The mediator should be ready to address both topics on which an agreement must be reached and on emotional reactions, and encourage couples with difficulties to invest more time in the process. More observational studies of mediation are needed in order to improve methods for working with high-conflict cases and to gain more insight into in which cases, how and when in the process to involve children. Research should also address court-based mediation processes in more detail. Furthermore, there is a need for studies of projects involving branches of health and social services that are cooperating about cases where children are facing neglect and violence.

This article describes and discusses the findings from a project developed at a Family Counselling Office, on what mediators find effective in high conflict mediation with parents. Fifteen mediators were interviewed about what they did in the high conflict cases, with focus on alliance and how they relate to emotional aspects, in the clients and within themselves. The findings indicate that the mediators had specific goals for the relationship with the clients. Most of the mediators wanted to regulate emotions, both within their clients and within themselves. The argument for doing so was that it enhanced the work on the agreement between the parents. The reasons for this were many: the alliance was enhanced, the parents were able to negotiate, and the mediators were less at risk of moving themselves into a difficult emotional terrain, which could put them at risk for making bad decisions in the mediation.

This qualitative study explored the perspectives of resident and nonresident fathers on the influence of Fortsatt Foreldre in Norway, a parental intervention program that supports them in addressing concerns that come after separation or divorce. Three fathers who completed Fortsatt Foreldre were recruited to participate in an in-depth and audiotaped interview. A thematic analysis suggests that Fortsatt Foreldre is beneficial to separated/divorced fathers in many aspects, including outcomes related to fathering, child–father relationship, co-parenting, and individual psychological resilience. Interviewed fathers’ narration also indicated how Fortsatt Foreldre further defines and develops the discourse of positive fatherhood within the Norwegian context.