When is the right time to seek advice?

By itself, one would think that the question of when to seek advice is banal.

Of course, first in a crisis.

However, all too often advice is sought too late, even though the signs of the beginning and the escalation of a conflict are already self-evident.

For example, deterioration of communication, call interruption, accumulation of applications or procedures in court are all warning signs that the situation is escalating.

In family law, for example, increasing problems with contact rights / handovers, missed appointments and much more, mean that advice should be sought as soon as possible, preferably of course preventively.

The sooner you seek advice, the faster and more effectively you can work.

However, many people then stop counselling too quickly, as often, usable to very good (intermediate) results are speedily achieved. The time in which communication has been improved by the consultation, should be used to conduct further discussions so that this improvement is not just temporary but sustainable. In particular, this period is ideally suited to begin further discussions, aiming at building long-term working relationships. During this point, the conflict parties are better motivated and open to further motivation.

To resort to counselling only in the event of another crisis means re-using resources for conflict mitigation and de-escalation.