Start the beginning of change, helping you to move past your emotional pain
and discomfort or other problems such as dealing with family, teens or
relationships by contacting us today.
Mediation Services
Mediation can save time, and money.
Marriages, business partnerships and corporations do break up. Skilled psychologists/mediators have saved parties millions of dollars in damages, legal costs and court costs by diverting the process away from the traditional lawyer and court's adversarial methods and building instead a goal-oriented and discussion framework for cooperative issue structuring, management and resolution. With adept mediation, key issues can be resolved and finality reached early in the process at a nominal cost.
What is the Mediation Service?
Mediation - "an informal process in which a neutral party with no power
to impose a resolution helps the disputing parties try to reach a
mutually acceptable agreement"
Mediation is a facilitative process. Through mediation all parties are
provided a means to assist in expressing emotions, viewpoints, needs and
wants. This process, when facilitated by trained mediators, promotes
positive solutions and maintains important relationships.
Mediation can be used in a wide range of situations including Relationships, Family Issues, Family Law, neighbourhood, commercial and workplace disputes, parent/adolescent conflicts, problems at school and issues concerning the care of the elderly.
The mediation process involves:
- The parties listening to each other's point of view without interruption.
- Identifying issues which need to be resolved.
- Sharing of relevant information.
- Exploring ideas and options.
- Testing possible solutions.
- Decisions and agreements put in writing.
A mediation session is about 2 hours. The average number of sessions for the whole process of mediation is between 3-5. The frequency of appointments is adjusted in accordance with participants' needs.
The Role of the Mediator
Our Mediators are highly-skilled people from a variety of professional backgrounds, such as law and the social sciences. They are trained in mediation and in resolving disputes. The expertise of mediators allows for a diverse range of disputes to be dealt with.
The mediators can either work alone or with another mediator. For example, they do not give legal or psychological advice but will explore general principles that apply to couples who are separating.
The mediators are impartial, even handed and neutral and they control the process, not the content that is discussed, and they maintain the confidentiality of the process. They are solution and future-focused in helping the parties resolve their dispute. The mediators ensure that everybody agrees to the decisions being made.
No one is forced to agree to anything unless they want to.
What can participants expect?
Mediation is a voluntary process, where decisions made are not legally
binding. Everyone gets the opportunity to express his or her own point
of view and is free to talk about issues of concern, with everyone
present.
Participants must be willing to listen to the other party and be
genuinely willing to negotiate and commit to reaching a solution and
considering a compromise. Participants must be prepared to follow the
process.
Benefits of mediating a dispute:
- Saves money and delays, because mediation is cheaper and quicker than the Court process.
- Promotes co-operation and improves communication that can enhance an ongoing relationship which assists parenting and other relationships.
- Provides a structure in which future disputes can be resolved more readily.
- Control in the decision-making process; no imposed decisions.
- Generally less stressful or traumatic than court proceedings.
- People are less likely to breach agreements they have made themselves.
Alternatives to Mediation:
- Do nothing. Continue the conflict.
- Seek the assistance of friends in resolving the dispute.
- Seek Arbitration, which is a less formal legal process to resolve the dispute.
- Instruct lawyers to negotiate agreements on your behalf.
- Commence court proceedings.
- Resolve the issues yourselves, without professional assistance.
If you want to make an appointment to see a mediator or find out more about mediation to resolve a dispute you have please contact us for an appointment or more information.
