An Invitation To Mediate: When someone requests mediation, the mediator determines who the necessary parties are who need to be a part of the process and contacts each person to participate at a convenient time and location. When a necessary person lacks the capacity to physically or otherwise fully participate, an appropriate surrogate or support person may participate to give that person a voice in the mediation.
Being Heard and Understood: In your mediation, each participant has opportunities to speak without interruption so everyone is heard and understood. The mediator will help participants to clarify their understanding of each other's perspectives so they are able to define the scope of the conflict to be resolved and the specific concerns that need to be addressed.
New Options Discovered and Explored: Your mediation process will allow you and the other participants to better understand each other's perspectives, needs and interests and have necessary objective information to help your decision making. This makes it possible for everyone involved to brainstorm productively and consider new options for a mutually satisfying decision.
Fair Mediation Process and Outcomes: A mediator keeps a focus on fairness to all participants in even the most emotional and challenging situations. Some conversations are more difficult to have with our parent(s) or siblings. Conversely, aging adults frequently express how difficult it is for them to speak about personal issues with their children. Fairness in a mediation or family meeting means decisions are made without undue influence of any participant, everyone is treated with respect and has opportunities to speak without interruption. Adults participating in mediation, no matter what age, have choices and preferences that will be expressed to the fullest extent possible to achieve fair and satisfying outcomes in their mediation.