We provide mediation to the public, small businesses, and organizations.
Mediation is a process that is useful if the parties, individuals or groups, having the conflcit are willing to connect with each other in the presence of a mediator to come to mutual understanding of the nature of their conflict.
The basic premise is that in a conflict there are at least two perspectives, or two conflicting points of view; the mediation process reconciles those points of view. In NVC* based mediation this happens by uncovering the needs that those points of view represent. The way we use the term “needs” refers to underlying human needs that are shared by all people; these range from basic existence needs such as food, shelter, and safety, to more complex needs such as respect, love, autonomy, meaning, contribution, and understanding. These types of needs are not tied to a particular strategy to meet them.
In the mediation process there are three stages:
- Pre-mediation sessions - the mediator meets with each party seperately to prepare for the actual mediation sessions (1 to 2 sessions)
- Mediation sessions - the mediator meets with the parties together (typically 2-5 sessions)
- Post-mediation sessions - the mediator meets with the parties seperately to provide personal follow-up coaching (1 session)
From the mediator’s perspective, the process does not have a commitment to a particular outcome; thus, it is facilitative in that it supportspeople to have the conversation that the parties want to have. The result is that the process creates an outcome that is typically not predicted by the participants or the mediator.
*NVC based mediation has been developed by John Kinyon, as an approach to facilitating communication and resolving conflict that is centered in an internationally acclaimed model of communication called Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
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