Welcome to
Finding Common Ground -Family Mediation Services

Mediation is a voluntary and confidential alternative dispute resolution method. In mediation there is a mediator, who is a third-party, present to oversee the entire process. The mediator remains neutral and facilitates open and respectful communication. 

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Mediation encourages open dialogue between the parties in order to reach a common ground. Mediation is a safe non-adversarial environment. Mediation is not a tool used to determine who is right or wrong.

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 As this is a voluntary process, both parties are encouraged to attend, and remain engaged in order to arrive at positive outcomes.  Unlike the adversarial process, decisions and outcomes are not imposed on the parties. Collectively, we work through conflict in order to arrive at outcomes that are agreeable to all parties. 

 

There are a few steps within the mediation process. There is the intake process, whereby the meditator meets with each party individually. This is to get a sense of the nature of the conflict. Next there are the mediation sessions(s). This is where all of the parties meet with the mediator to start having a conversation and working through the conflict. Lastly, there is the mediated report. This is completed by the mediator and includes the agreed upon terms and outcomes.  What happens with the report is determined by what the parties would like to do. This will be discussed with you during the process.