Global Village Mediation provides professional alternative dispute resolution services across Texas — helping individuals, families, and businesses reach fair agreements without costly litigation.
Specific situations where a trained mediator with real-world experience changes the outcome
A separating military couple needs a parenting plan that accounts for deployment cycles, Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, and the reality that one parent may be unreachable for months at a time. Family courts can order a plan — but only a mediator who understands operational tempo, leave policies, and what deployment actually looks like can help parents build one that works in practice, not just on paper.
“A parenting plan written by someone who has never deployed doesn’t account for what deployment actually looks like. I do.”
Dividing a military retirement requires understanding the Uniformed Services Former Spouses’ Protection Act (USFSPA), Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) elections, the 10/10 rule, and how the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) actually processes a court order. When both parties understand what they are dividing, mediation produces agreements that hold. When neither does, the court order often fails at implementation.
“I understand the Survivor Benefit Plan, the 10/10 rule, and what DFAS will and won’t accept — so the agreement you reach can actually be implemented.”
When a military marriage ends, the non-military spouse often feels financially exposed and institutionally invisible. They may not understand their entitlements, may not know what questions to ask, and are navigating a system designed around the service member. A mediator who has personally navigated the tension between supporting the mission and protecting the family brings something no purely legal process can.
“I have stood on both sides of this — the service member trying to stay mission-capable and the spouse trying to understand what they are entitled to. I know how to hold both.”
A Permanent Change of Station (PCS) order moves a service member across the country or overseas. An existing custody agreement assumed geographic proximity. Now it does not work. The other parent objects. The service member has no choice about the orders. This situation lands in mediation — or in court — regularly at installations across Texas.
“PCS orders don’t negotiate. Parenting plans can. I help families build agreements that account for the reality of military life, not just the ideal.”
An estate planning or probate attorney refers two adult children who disagree about who should serve as executor — or how an estate should be administered. The conflict is rarely only about the estate. It is almost always about the relationship, the perceived fairness of a lifetime of choices, and who the parent trusted most. A legal agreement can resolve the executor question. Addressing what is underneath it requires a different kind of mediator.
“The dispute is about the estate. The conflict is about something older than that. I work on both.”
Adult siblings disagree about a parent’s living situation, level of care, finances, or medical decisions while the parent is still living. Hospice social workers, elder care attorneys, and geriatric care managers encounter this regularly and have few good referral options. The parent’s practical needs and the siblings’ relationships with each other — and with the parent — are all at stake simultaneously.
“The question of who makes decisions for your parent is urgent. The question of whether your family survives the decision is more important.”
Casey Hayden — TAM Candidate for Full Membership | TMCA Candidate for Credentialed Mediator | UT Dallas Professional Certificate in Mediation and Dispute Resolution
Casey Hayden is a trained civil and family mediator serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area. His mediation training includes 40 hours of foundational instruction through the University of Texas at Dallas and a 30-Hour Advanced Family Mediation Course completed through the Montgomery County Dispute Resolution Center (June 2026). He is a Texas Association of Mediators (TAM) Candidate for Full Membership with an assigned mentor mediator, and a Candidate for Credentialed Mediator through the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association (TMCA). He holds active observer status with the Dallas County Dispute Resolution Center (DRC), with an application in progress at the Montgomery County Dispute Resolution Center.
Before entering the mediation field, Casey served 28 years as a United States Air Force officer, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His career placed him repeatedly in situations requiring disciplined neutrality, structured process under pressure, and the ability to hold the competing rights and interests of multiple parties simultaneously — without taking sides and without losing sight of a workable outcome.
Over 28 years in command, I navigated dozens of situations requiring me to hold the competing rights and interests of two parties in tension, maintain process integrity under pressure, and reach workable outcomes in high-stakes human conflicts. That experience is the foundation of how I approach every mediation.— Casey Hayden, Mediator
Casey welcomes referrals from attorneys, mental health professionals, financial planners, elder care specialists, and fellow mediators. He is available for co-mediation engagements and accepts case referrals across civil, family, and private relational matters. For professional and referral inquiries, contact [email protected] directly.
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