At first I was a bit skeptical. We had never done any guided family discussions before and I didn’t know how would an external person to the family affect the conversation. The concern lifted straight away at the intro. Chérine and Arthur came well prepared, the agenda was shared to guide the course for all sessions and it was validated with everyone that we were at ease with the subjects, timing and pace. Guidelines were established to make sure we all felt safe to express ourselves and we learned techniques to convey our thoughts on delicate matters. More importantly, Chérine and Arthur displayed great skill in managing tense situations in a constructive manner and direct back the focus to reaching a result rather than getting caught in the argument. All in all it was a great experience. I believe we are in a better place than we would’ve been had we tried to start it on our own.