Tools for Nashville Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Nashville families you work with, whether you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator. Messaging between co-parents is free for both parents, and every message is time-stamped and tamper-evident.

If you serve as a guardian ad litem, a therapist, or a mediator for families in Nashville, you already know the pattern: two parents, one child, and a record of what happened that lives in two different phones. FamilyCourtHelp.com gives the parents you work with one organized place for co-parent messages, schedules, parenting plans, expenses, and records, so the time they spend with you, and in front of the Fourth Circuit Court, Davidson County, goes to the children instead of the screenshots.

Area covered: Davidson County.

Court for custody cases: Fourth Circuit Court, Davidson County.

Appointed for the child: Guardian ad litem.

Custody mediation: Often ordered by the judge (parenting plan mediation).

Parenting class: Required statewide (parent educational seminar).

State family law: Tennessee Code Title 36 - Domestic Relations.

Co-parent messaging (Free): One time-stamped, tamper-evident thread, free for both parents, with a Tone Meter that offers calmer rewrites.

Invite a professional into the conversation (Free): A parent can add a guardian ad litem or mediator to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link.

Parenting plan, built and shared (Free to build): Parents draft a parenting plan and can share it with you to read and comment on.

Verify a chat export (Free): Check that an exported message record (the JSON file) has not been changed. No account needed.

Court-Grade Journal (Paid plan): A dated, no-delete journal; a parent can send you a packet of chosen entries.

Expense Tracker (Paid plan): Shared child costs with receipts; a parent can give you a view-only look.

Parents can create an account and message their co-parent for free, with no credit card. Building a parenting plan is free; sharing, downloading, and printing it, and the tools marked as a paid plan, are part of a monthly plan a parent can start and stop.

For guardians ad litem in Nashville

In Tennessee, the court can appoint a guardian ad litem in a custody case. What the role involves is in the FAQ below.

Nothing here opens a family's account to you on its own. When a parent wants you in, they send a single-use invitation into the co-parent conversation; you join with your own free account, see the full thread and the shared calendar's change requests, and can post. They can also share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on.

For therapists and counselors in Nashville

Court-involved therapists, reunification therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Nashville get no seat in the conversation and no access to accounts. Parents keep their own time-stamped record and decide what to show you, which keeps your role clear. For co-parenting work, the Tone Meter in the free messenger shows a parent how a message will land and offers a calmer version before it is sent.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Nashville

In Tennessee, custody mediation is often ordered by the judge. The details are in the FAQ below.

Parents can bring you in before the first meeting in Nashville: a single-use link adds you to the co-parent conversation, and a shared parenting plan lets you read the draft and comment on it. After the session, what was agreed stays in writing in the thread, and schedule changes run through the shared calendar's request and approval record.

Family court in Nashville: what to know

Custody cases in Nashville are heard in the Fourth Circuit Court, Davidson County.

Divorce and custody cases are filed in Circuit Court and can be e-filed.

If you searched for a guardian ad litem, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Nashville, the court that has your case, the order in it, or your lawyer is the place to find who is appointed or approved. This site does not appoint professionals or refer you to one. What you can do here is come prepared: keep every message with your co-parent in one time-stamped thread, write down what happened with dates while it is fresh, and work on a parenting plan before the meeting.

Free help for parents in Nashville: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Davidson: Circuit Court Clerk Resource Center, (615) 862-5207. Forms and filing guidance for self-represented people with a Circuit Court case, including divorce and custody.

Davidson legal aid: Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands, (800) 238-1443.

FamilyCourtHelp.com is a self-help platform, not a law firm and not a court, and nothing on this page is legal, clinical, or mediation advice. Court rules and local programs change, so confirm anything that matters for a case with the court, the order that appointed you, or the program itself.

Frequently asked questions

Where are custody cases heard in Nashville?

The Fourth Circuit Court at the Metro Courthouse in Nashville is one of the Davidson County courts that hear divorce, custody, child support and other domestic relations cases.

Where can parents in Nashville get free help with a family court case?

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: Circuit Court Clerk Resource Center. Free legal aid: Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands. Phone numbers and links are in the parents section above, checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

How can parents prepare for custody mediation in Nashville?

Bring the family calendar, a draft parenting plan, a list of the issues still open, and a list of shared costs with receipts. Parents can put all of that together on FamilyCourtHelp.com before the first session.

What does a guardian ad litem do in a Nashville custody case?

In Tennessee custody cases, a court can appoint a guardian ad litem, a lawyer who advocates for the child's best interests. The judge must sign a written order that explains why the appointment is needed, what the guardian ad litem will do, and how fees will be paid. You may also see "GAL". The rule is in Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 40A. This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Tennessee?

When Tennessee parents cannot agree on a temporary or permanent parenting plan, each files a proposed plan and the case usually goes to mediation. A parent who is a victim of domestic violence is not required to mediate, and a court can hold a parent in contempt for skipping ordered mediation without a good reason.

Do parents in Tennessee have to take a parenting class?

In any Tennessee case where a permanent parenting plan will be entered, such as a divorce with minor children, each parent must attend a parent educational seminar. In a contested divorce, the court must consider whether a parent attended when deciding limits on parenting time or decision making.