New Service Alert! Mediation
Every fall, I do a planning session with my two best consulting pals. We celebrate the current year, consider what we might want to change, and identify our dreams and goals for the next year.
One of my goals for 2024 was to add mediation as a service. I completed my civil mediation training through the Dispute Resolution Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and my mediation observations in Ramsey County Court. I am listed on the state’s roster as a Qualified Neutral.
Read on to learn more about mediation and what services I provide:
What is Mediation?
Mediation is an opportunity for people to settle a conflict or dispute outside of a courtroom. Mediation is voluntary and confidential.
A mediator assists participants during a session by:
providing a structure for the process
listening carefully and reflecting back what is shared by the participants
helping participants identify their own ideas and solutions to the conflict or dispute
assisting participants with documenting the session and writing any agreements that arise
ending the mediation when participants are not able to identify solutions themselves
A mediator does not:
provide advice or recommendations
determine the outcomes
pressure anyone to settle or agree
What does it mean to be a Qualified Neutral?
Learn more about what it means to be a Qualified Neutral and about Minnesota Rule 114.
What kinds of mediation services am I offering?
I’m offering mediation services in the community. This means I provide mediation for conflicts or disputes with regular people, in neighborhoods, organizations, communities, etc.
The philosophy behind mediation aligns with so much of what I believe in:
conflict is natural and inevitable
people may often know what they want and need and just need a chance to say it in their own words
people deserve to be listened to and validated
everyone should have an opportunity to come up with solutions to conflicts that work for them rather than imposed upon them
an outside person’s help with a structure, process, and template for documenting agreements may be helpful and useful
As a Civil Mediator, I volunteer with the Dispute Resolution Center. I am able to provide mediation services as a volunteer in Housing Court, Harassment Court, and Conciliation Court (commonly referred to as Small Claims Court). I have observed each of these court processes and am building my skills in these areas as a volunteer mediator.
An opportunity for you
Are you interested in mediation services? As I’m building a new mediation practice, I’m offering two free opportunities:
A mediated session of up to two hours
A mediated series of three sessions, up to one hour each
These mediated sessions will be offered via Zoom.
If you’re interested in a free opportunity to experience mediation, schedule a free consultation with me and we can see if mediation is a good fit for you.