How Mediation Works

Mediation is a process that assists two or more people in resolving conflict with the help of a neutral, trained facilitator.  It is sometimes called a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), meaning it is an alternative to litigation in the court system.  Mediation is private and confidential.  The mediator encourages honest but respectful airing of each party's concerns, and dialogue about their underlying goals, needs, and values.  A skilled mediator will work to help the participants find common ground, look for solutions that meet everyone's needs, and diffuse hostility. In most cases, the mediator will write a memorandum which details the agreement the parties made.

Mediation is used to resolve disputes about a wide range of issues, and over time it is the process chosen for more and more situations.  For example, elder mediation has been developed in the past five years, to assist families in solving difficulties related to aging or disability. A few of the most common venues for mediation are:

Divorce and separation

Workplace

Neighborhood/Community

Business

Schools

Consumers

Government

Mediation empowers people to make the decisions that they feel are most appropriate and fair for their situation. 

Mediators sometimes describe their own mediation approach as narrative, facilitative, evaluative, transformative, or a combination of more than one. For more information about each of these approaches, you can look at this article on mediate.com.