Tools for Northern Virginia Guardians ad Litem, Therapists and Mediators

A co-parenting app and case tools you can recommend to the Northern Virginia 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.

Custody cases in Northern Virginia move through the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, and many of the parents in them handle at least part of the case without a lawyer. For guardians ad litem, family therapists, and mediators, that usually means sorting fact from feeling before any real work can start. This page shows what the parents you work with can use on FamilyCourtHelp.com to come to you organized.

Area covered: Fairfax County.

Court for custody cases: Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

Appointed for the child: Guardian ad litem.

Custody mediation: Often ordered by the judge (dispute resolution orientation session).

Parenting class: Required statewide (parent education seminar).

State family law: Virginia Code Title 20 - 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 Northern Virginia

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

The parents decide what you see. One of them can add you to the co-parent conversation with a single-use link, and once you accept with a free account you can read the thread, post in it, and follow schedule requests on the shared calendar. A shared parenting plan opens to you for reading and comments.

For therapists and counselors in Northern Virginia

For court-involved therapists, co-parenting counselors, and custody evaluators in Northern Virginia, the site stays on the parents' side of the line: there is no therapist seat and no access to a family's account. What it changes is what walks into the room. Parents write to each other in one time-stamped thread, and the Tone Meter in the free messenger offers a calmer version of a message before it goes out.

For mediators and parenting coordinators in Northern Virginia

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

A parent can invite you into the co-parent conversation with a single-use link and share the parenting plan for you to read and comment on, so you see the draft and the open issues before the first session in Northern Virginia. Between sessions, agreements stay in writing in the one thread, and schedule changes go through the shared calendar as requests the other parent approves or declines.

Family court programs in Northern Virginia

Custody cases in Northern Virginia are heard in the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. The court-connected programs below were checked against official sources.

Fairfax JDR Court custody and visitation mediation: If parents have not reached agreement after the first hearing, the court refers them to mediation before a trial is set, unless mediation is not appropriate. The mediators work for the court.

If you searched for a guardian ad litem, a family therapist, or a custody mediator in Northern Virginia, 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 Northern Virginia: the court help desks and legal aid offices below were checked link by link for the site's free pro se help directory.

Fairfax: Fairfax Courthouse Self-Help Resource Center, (703) 246-2172. Walk-in help inside the Fairfax County courthouse for anyone going to court without a lawyer.

Fairfax legal aid: Legal Services of Northern Virginia, (703) 778-6800.

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 Northern Virginia?

The Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court hears custody and visitation petitions for Fairfax County, and its intake officers help parents prepare the petition. Divorce cases go to the circuit court.

Is there a court mediation program in Northern Virginia?

Yes. Families with a case in the local court can use the Fairfax JDR Court custody and visitation mediation. What it offers, and the official link, are in the family court programs section above.

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

Free court help for parents without a lawyer: Fairfax Courthouse Self-Help Resource Center. Free legal aid: Legal Services of Northern Virginia. 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 Northern Virginia?

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. Families with a case in the local court can ask about the Fairfax JDR Court custody and visitation mediation.

What does a guardian ad litem do in a Northern Virginia custody case?

A Virginia court may appoint a guardian ad litem, a lawyer who meets statewide standards set by the Judicial Council of Virginia, to represent a child's best interests in a custody or visitation case. The guardian ad litem meets the child in person, looks into the facts, and interviews the parents and others who know the child. You may also see "GAL". The rule is in Va. Code 16.1-266.1; Standards to Govern the Performance of Guardians Ad Litem for Children (Judicial Council of Virginia). This is general information, not legal advice; the order in the case controls.

Is custody mediation required in Virginia?

In appropriate custody and visitation cases, a Virginia court must refer parents to a dispute resolution orientation session with a certified mediator. Before making the referral, the court checks, when a parent asks, whether there is a history of family abuse.

Do parents in Virginia have to take a parenting class?

When custody, visitation or support of a child is contested in Virginia, the parents must attend a parent education seminar of at least four hours. The court can excuse attendance for good cause.