Family Mediation

Family Law Support

Parenting Partnerships, Inc. provides family life education
that strengthens and stabilizes family relationships.

Mediation is an interactive process in which an impartial person - the Mediator - facilitates communication between disputing parties to promote understanding, mutually agreeable settlement of issues and even reconciliation between parties. It assists parties in creating their own resolution to disputes - resolutions that work for both of them. A conference or transformative style of mediation also enforces positive communication patterns for future collaboration and negotiations.

Many times mediation can resolve issues during one session, but sometimes a series of shorter sessions may work best, particularly when there is high emotional intensity or when there is a need to obtain additional information.

If the relationship is a one-time encounter that does not involve co-parenting, resolving the conflict in a way that improves the ongoing relationship may not be as important as settling the immediate dispute. However when the conflict is over parenting issues, communicating directly with each other about this and future conflicts becomes very important to the welfare of the children.

Family mediation can be used to help resolve any family-related conflict from parenting style disagreements to divorce settlements that have the added stress of litigation preparation.

Parenting Partnerships offers a conference style mediation - whereby all parties remain in the same room for the duration of the meeting. Meetings are centered on the concept of "interest-based negotiation." The focus of the settlement discussion is on the interests behind the positions of both parties. In other words - what needs will be satisfied if you get what you say you want, what concerns or worries will be addressed, what values will be honored, and what priorities and underlying objectives will be met. Family law mediation involves more than helping parties through the process of reaching agreement. The purpose of the process is also to help assist parties through the process of restructuring their interpersonal relationship in a more constructive manner.

All Certified Family Life Educators working with Parenting Partnerships are required have 40 hours basic and 30 hours family mediation training and all are experienced family mediators. Please contact us for more information.