Both processes involve the participation of other family law professionals and experts to give advice and support to the parties during the sessions in what can be complex or difficult cases. Usually, the mediator will meet with both parties and their lawyers as a group at the start of the process before they split off into their separate rooms. There, they may be joined by their accountants and other individuals necessary to help them making up a ‘team’ to facilitate an agreement. The two ‘teams’ are able to meet in separate rooms to explore issues, address concerns, and develop proposals. The mediator will go between the two, helping them explore the issues, address concerns, and develop options before hopefully arriving at a mutually acceptable set of proposals. What distinguishes Hybrid Mediation is the agreement around transparency. Ordinarily a mediator will not keep information given to them by one party confidential from the other side as it is thought that helps develop the parties’ trust in the mediator’s neutrality. In contrast, in Hybrid Mediation, the mediator will only share with the other side information which they have been authorised to disclose. This means that mediators can have separate, confidential meetings with each party.