Janet Miller Wiseman LICSW
Certified Family and Divorce Mediator
Janet graduated from Simmons College School of Social Work in 1972, with a degree in clinical psychiatric social work. During this time she obtained certification as a Family Therapist from the Boston Family Institute. Her undergraduate studies were in political science, psychology and anthropology.
Janet practiced as a psychotherapist and supervisor at the Greater Lawrence Mental Health Center, working with families and adolescents from 1972-1978.
Janet began a private practice of psychotherapy in 1976 in Coolidge Corner, Brookline. Janet forms a trusting, caring, mutual relationship with those experiencing life transitions, marital and family dysfunction, decision making needs, ADHD, OCD, grief, parenting, grand-parenting and so much more. Sarah Buell Dawes has said that Janet has special insight into helping clients and family members of people with bi-polar manic depression and that it is a ministry for Janet. Clients and colleagues describe Janet as “very smart, very caring, sometimes hilarious, and bringing a glow into the room”
Janet invited the Academy of Family Mediators, Steven Erickson and John Haynes, to train prospective divorce and family mediators to an intensive five-day training in 1981, and in 1982 helped to co-found the Mass Council on Family Mediation with Attorney John Fiske, Jerry Weinstein and Joanne Forbes. Janet was President for two years, head of public relations for many years and received The John Adams Fiske Award for Excellence in Mediation in 2008. The MCFM has been offering high level bi-monthly education for mediators for over 35 years.
In addition to the MCFM, Janet has trained at the following, amongst others.
- The Program on Negotiation at Harvard University
- The Mass and American Bar Associations
- The Mass Council on Legal Education
- The Divorce Center
- Chalwick and Senes, CDFA Divorce Financial Analysts The
- Insight Financial Strategists
Janet is one of the few Certified Divorce and Family Mediators in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To be a certified divorce mediator, one must continuously complete educational courses on all aspects of divorce and divorce law, taxation in divorce, division of property, alimony, child support, living arrangements, retirement, investments and IRS deductions and exemptions.
As a pioneer in the field of divorce and family mediation in Massachusetts and in the US, Janet has thirty eight years of experience in helping parties understand the requirements and statutes of the Commonwealth, and in helping them develop creative, customized solutions to their divorce settlements.
Janet has published three books in the field of conflict resolution:
Additionally, Janet taught mediation and negotiation over fourteen years at Lesley University Departments of Counseling Psychology and Management, Cambridge College, Universidad Catolica and La Instituta de la Familia in Quito, Ecuador.
Janet has consulted in Connecticut and Massachusetts with Employee Assistance Organizations, Rehabilitation Programs, hospitals, universities, public schools, Chambers of Commerce, International Development Organizations, municipal organizations and many more organizations, often with Ira Gorman, LICSW, co-founder of The Negotiation Collaborative, alongside Janet in 1979.
Janet holds mediation and psychotherapy sessions in Spanish. Her mother was studying Spanish when she died in 1994, when Janet, as a memorial to her mother began the study of the language in South and Central American, Spain and in the US. Additionally, Janet has studied alternative medicine in mainland China and in Cuba.
In her personal life, Janet is passionate about her many interests:
Her first joy and commitment is to her son, Todd, daughter-in-law, Melissa, grandsons, Andrew, now age 7, and Tucker, age 5. They live in the Denver, Colorado area, with condos to rent at Copper Mountain. The boys are really excellent skiers, they bike, swim, play tennis, baseball and Andrew loves robots and Minecraft; Tucker is really excellent at assembling legos.
Janet’s son, Todd, is an excellent kite-boarder and skier, mountain-biker and did the Leadville 100, a great tennis and pickle-ball player. Melissa is a wonderful Mother, does yoga, is excellent skier, and tennis player. Although her career has been very important to Janet, her family is even more so.