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Dianne Thomas, LMFT, has focused her career of over 35 years on work with children and families. She began as a classroom teacher in the secondary schools in San Francisco and soon realized that her interests lay in counseling and working with the entire family not just with individual children. While her three children (two of whom are twins) were young, Dianne became a certified Lamaze childbirth educator and a parent educator at the Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto where she created a parenting program for families of multiple birth children from pregnancy to kindergarten. She also provided telephone advice on a nationwide hotline for Twin Services in Berkeley and has provided workshops for expectant parents of multiple birth children at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital. While working at CHC, Dianne pursued her license as a marriage and family therapist and began training in mediation. Dianne has a Master’s Degree from University of San Francisco in Counseling/Education and one in Marriage and Family Counseling.
Dianne has trained extensively in mediation, including trainings with Joan Kelly, Ph. D and Don Saposnek, Ph.D. Her interest in helping families in conflict expanded to Collaborative Practice in which she is also trained. Dianne is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) and is co-chair of Collaborative Practice, San Mateo County.
Dianne has committed her work to alternative forms of dispute resolution. As a Collaborative practitioner, Dianne serves as a divorce coach and a child specialist assisting divorcing parents in making mutual decisions about future parenting of their children. Her experience with Collaborative Practice supports her belief that a dignified and positive approach to a family’s crisis such as divorce is the best solution for preserving the ability of parents to provide for the emotional needs of their children including children’s opportunity to enjoy the benefits of having both parents in their lives.
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