Mediation:  What is it?… What isn’t it?

MEDIATION IS

Mediation is a process that allows people in conflict to come together voluntarily to resolve it. The mediator is a person skilled in helping people communicate with each other and trained in a process that moves them through their conflict to a place where they can work with each other to resolve it on terms that THEY create and upon which they can freely agree.

MEDIATION ISN’T

Mediation isn’t arbitration. Mediators don’t decide the outcome of the conflict.  Mediation doesn’t remove decisions about the conflict from the people who are having it.

Mediation isn’t a grievance process. Although it often settles issues that would be the basis for a grievance, and can make a grievance unnecesary because the substance of a complaint has been resolved, mediation does not substitute for a grievance procedure.  It can work in tandem with a grievance process so those with a conflict can try to resolve it themselves with the help of a mediator. If they succeed, the grievance ends, and if not, the grievance goes on unaffected by the attempt to mediate.

MEDIATION – DIFFERENT PROCESSES WITH THE SAME NAME

Choosing the best form of mediation for your circumstances is important in order to get the kind of result you need. Not all mediators practice the same way, and finding your way through the maze of choices can be tricky. To help you navigate, try a click on The Mediation Maze

PREVENTIVE MEDIATION – A DIFFERENT ORIENTATION TO THIS PROCESS

Used early in a conflict, mediation process reduces the likelihood of a costly adversarial contest.
Preventive Mediation