Mediation

• The act or process of Mediating; especially: intervention between conflicting parties to promote reconciliation, settlement, or compromise.  http://www.merriam-webster.com

• In Mediation, a trained professional guides the conversation between people in conflict with the goal of reaching an agreement and thus resolving the conflict.

Any time there are two sides of a conflict! 

Here are some examples of where you might see Mediation:

• School disputes with adults and kids or teachers and administrators 
• Church or religious disputes
• Elder Mediation: adult children and aging parents
• Community and neighborhood disputes
• Workplace disputes
• Divorce
• Family conflict

Same Room Mediation is when people on both sides of the conflict sit in the same room with the Mediator to discuss and resolve the conflict.

Shuttle Mediation is when people on each side of the conflict sit in separate rooms and the Mediator goes back and forth talking to each side separately.

Anyone can be a trained Mediator! However if you want to be on the Indiana Mediation Registry you need to have a Bachelor's Degree and have completed an accredited 40-Hour Domestic Relations Mediation Training. Once you complete the training there is an application and fee to be on the Indiana Mediation Registry. If you want to verify a Mediator is on the registry you can look them up. 

Mediation costs are dependent upon the Mediator, type of conflict, length of time to resolve the conflict, court involvement or no court involvement. 

Mediation can occur anywhere there is a conflict. 

Mediations are often conducted in a public space such as an office, library, schools, religious places and community centers. 

Mediation is meant to: 

• preserve the relationship and build understanding between the two sides
• it is often less expensive than the court process for resolving conflict
• it is a private and confidential process
• bring peace to the conflict