MEDIATION

Effects of conflict

Being in conflict is tiring, wastes time and costs money. Mediation allows people to agree on a solution that works for them, focus on the future and get on with their lives.

Preparation

There’s no luck involved in making agreements that work. When people are well prepared for mediation they think logically and systematically, come up with realistic options and make agreements that work. My worksheets will help you go into mediation (or other tough conversations) confident and prepared.

Confidentiality

Mediation is a confidential process that protects people’s reputations and private information. Both parties sign an agreement to mediate that includes a confidentiality clause. Anything said during the mediation sessions cannot be repeated outside under any circumstances. In parenting mediations, anything said in the mediation is inadmissible in Court. Notes made during all mediations are destroyed at the end of the session.

The only documents that leave the mediation session and that can be used outside, are the agreement between the parties, my letter to employers or the 60i certificate (parenting matters only). If you are attending workplace mediation, I recommend that you don’t discuss it with your colleagues.

What are the benefits of mediation?

Mediation gives people control over how they will manage relationships in future. It allows them to agree on solutions rather than have them imposed by employers or Courts. All mediations give the people involved a better understanding of the situation and each other, even if they don’t end with a written agreement.

Courts and Tribunals should be treated as a last resort. The process is slow, expensive and stressful and the Courts are overloaded. Everyone loses control of the dispute once it goes to Court – the legal system is in charge and people end up with a binding agreement imposed on them by a third party.