Separation Support Network Blog Article
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Rural women – A dreamy existence at times but bloody hard work and challenging!
Rural women – A dreamy existence at times but bloody hard work and challenging!
Watching my cousins all grow up in rural worlds, almost seemed romantic to me as a child. I would visit every holiday from the city and ride horses, milk some cows, pick fruit, ride my motor bike, jump in mud, star gaze, play a lot of cricket, ride on tractors and hang out in makeshift cubbies. I was particularly indulged with attention from one Aunt who lived on a remote property with her husband and six sons. She would beg to do my long hair every day! Aside from the bugs, mice, snakes, dodgy plumbing and the intense quiet where I lay awake at night a little nervous listening to lots of unfamiliar noises in the pitch dark, it was a fabulous escape from the chaos of the city.
But as I grew older, I slowly grew to understand the reality of their world beyond these simple wholesome joys. They were extremely long and physically exhausting days, to get someone to attend to the farm so they could have a break was expensive and stressful, they rarely had a sleep in due to the livestock needs, the weather was unpredictable and often extremely cruel. I watched them cry as crops were ruined, neighbours were fatally injured on machines, deal with regular power outages, witness their favourite horse die from a snake bite, hungry dingo's that surrounded and killed their livestock, endless fences that always needed checking and repairing, the worries of lost stock and children wandering into open dams. I watched dairy farms go bust or forced to convert to beef if they could afford it. Teenagers who were not wanting to remain on the property planning their escape. Medical and other support services that were a long distance away or sub-standard.
My Grandmother had been a very social Melbourne girl when she met my Grandfather Charlie. She had fallen deeply in love with the country boy who seduced her to go rural with stories of green pastures and healthy living. But for Nan, it was beyond confronting. The quiet, lack of resources, facilities, shopping and entertainment, her lack of rural living skills, the initial difficulty of breaking into the local social cliques and community, the non-existent holidays, fear when any of the four children needed urgent medical assistance, the long wait for products and services and financial strain, put her mental health and marriage in jeopardy on many occasions. She once said that whilst she eventually made a lot of lovely friends in her small community, she always kept all her family issues very private and did not feel she wanted to discuss them even with the local doctor who was her neighbours.
All my aunties were country born and bred so their coping mechanisms and understanding of the challenges of rural living were a lot more realistic. They spoke so fondly of their wonderful communities who supported one another and how they could never have endured city living. However, there were still many days when they admitted they wished they had had access to more help to deal with the stresses and challenges, the remoteness, menopause, teen issues, even the empty nest feelings as their children often opted out of rural living.
Family Counselling Support Network and Separation Support Network offer our rural clients confidential, online services with flexible hours to accommodate their schedules no matter where they are located. If there isn’t a time that suits you just email us at [email protected] and we will do whatever we can to help.
We also offer a range of online workshops and courses, fabulous free online book club (Konnect) and resources. BOOK CLUB LAUNCHING SOON!!!
From 1 September we also invite you to join us on the couch with a cup of tea (or cheeky wine) to listen to me having a chat and a giggle with a fabulous range of people talking all things women – ‘On the Couch with Susan & Friends.’
Reach out anytime. We are here for you. x
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FAQS
What do I do next to get help?
No matter where you are in the separation or divorce stage, we understand how hard it is, and we are here to support you. You are not alone.
We help reduce the stress by providing you with the education and practical guidance you need to understand all the options available to you.
We also carefully listen to you on what you want to do, to move forward. If you would like to arrange an online 30-minute complimentary mini session we can discuss where you are at and what help you feel you need, at your stage in the process. This just requires a Zoom connection.
We will be honest about what we can do to assist you to get the best outcome, and give you a firm understanding of the costs associated with the help. It will not be a sales pitch from us.
If you decide to proceed with Separation Support Network, you are welcome to book a PAID one-on-one confidential consultation with one of our highly trained senior separation support personnel. The first appointment will require a new client form to be completed and returned, to help us gain a better understanding of your position and to not waste your precious time.
As seen in our testimonials, we are renowned for having excellent relationships with our clients and are very conscious of providing quality, affordable services, all the way.
We take great pride in ensuring that every one of our service providers have your best interests at heart, emotionally and financially. Our motto is ‘providing our clients with a hug all the way.’
Why should I use Separation Support Network instead of going to a traditional law firm?
Separation Support Network provides one-on-one support to guide you through the entire separation and divorce process. We help you navigate the immediate practical steps of your separation, listen to your unique circumstances, outline your options and recommend the services you need. We also provide help long term through your separation journey to reach your long term goals.
We do have a panel of lawyers who can assist, if and when required, but we work with you to avoid legal costs as much as possible by helping you understand all your options, assist you to gather your documentation and evidence, draft your proposed terms, and coordinate other specialist support if required to support your position. This helps avoid a lot of the initial outlays you would normally experience in a law firm, which often charge very high legal costs, per hour, for their time. It also helps you avoid a lot of time, stress and frustration.
Once legal matters are resolved by traditional firms, our clients report they often feel a sense of confusion and concern about what comes next - on how to actually co-parent and fulfill the parenting obligations, how to deal with the financial arrangements that were agreed upon, where to obtain the necessary financial education to manage your settlement, and how to secure your financial future. There is often the need to get help to change other key legal and financial documents, strategies to assist with co-parenting and communication with former partners, sorting the sale of assets, access to counselling for the family, finding a new career or a plan on how to start the next chapter of life. Separation Support network can walk beside you through all of this. We help you find the care you need and work collaboratively with a team who can assist.
Our aim is to ensure our clients are safe, emotionally supported all the way, personally educated and empowered to make their own decisions, and ultimately achieve a fair and equitable settlement, suitable parenting arrangement and successful future.
What range of support can you offer me?
The most common things said to us over the years by our clients:
"I am so confused about what to do next, where to get the help I need and who to trust."
"I can't work out what financial documents I even need to access and what I have to disclose ."
"I worked all my life to save and secure my superannuation and now we are going to destroy it with all the ongoing legal bills."
"I was a good parent and we had a great relationship but now I just can't reconnect with them."
We hear you!
Separation Support Network is essentially a one stop service network where you no longer need to spend countless hours finding the resources, locating kind and supportive care, legal and financial expertise, all at an affordable rate.
We work alongside incredibly experienced, supportive specialists who share our values in making the separation and divorce process more amicable, more empowering, more supportive and more affordable.
Mediators
Psychologists and counsellors
Parent assist programmes
Empower programmes
Lawyers
Domestic Violence support
Financial Planners and Advisors
Property Valuers including farming valuers
Banking advice
Business and Company valuers
Forensic Accounting and IT
Private Investigators
Accountants
Mortgage Brokers
Business brokers
Conveyancing and Will and Estate Planning support
Life Coaches
High Conflict Coaches
Career assist - resumes, job applications and interview preparation.
Empower You programmes
Our clients have also reached out and requested that we prepare practical and affordable resources including audio/visual podcasts and webinars which consist of easy to understand, questions and answers to many of the day-to-day issues that they experience, but don’t know how to do. These can be booked and listened to at any time, anywhere by our clients. A transcript is also provided for our paid webinars.
In late 2024, Separation Support Network will release a series of highly practical webinars for all our clients at a very affordable price which can be viewed any time, anywhere as part of our new Separation course.
These webinars are not just made up of general information about topics. They are step by step practical guides on how to get through this challenging process to ensure your safety and legal rights.
We have interviewed some of the leading experts on these most sought after topics and hope that you find the content understandable, relatable and invaluable. Please feel free to reach out anytime to suggest additional topics you would like us to add to our webinar library or to add to our course.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
Given the nature of our support services, last minute cancellations are costly, and it means that other clients may miss out on receiving the required support. For cancellations within 48 hours of the scheduled appointment there is a $65 part fee payment. For less than 24 hours cancellation notice or a non-show, the full session fee will need to be charged. These fees are refunded however if the session can be filled at the last minute. Thank you for your understanding.
Have a question that we haven’t answered? Or just want to chat please book here
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DISCLAIMER: The material contained on this website is for general educational and information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, medical or psychological advice or care. While every care has been taken in the information provided, no legal responsibility or liability is accepted, warranted or implied by the authors or Separation Support Network and any liability is hereby expressly disclaimed. For specific advice please contact us at [email protected]. All information contained on the website remains the intellectual property of Separation Support Network and is for your personal educational use only. The information must not be reproduced or distributed without the express permission of Separation Support Network.
Separation Support Network acknowledges and respects the First Nations Custodians of the land where our offices stand, and where we work to help Australians. We pay respects to their Elders, past present and emerging, lore, customs and creation spirits. We recognise that these lands have always been places of ceremony, teaching, research and learning, and we acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples play in our community.
We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible environment where people and communities of all identities and backgrounds are accepted, safe and celebrated.
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