What Can Be Mediated?

Families are complex. Tensions that arise over a variety of issues or circumstances when mixed with high emotion and/or inadequate communication can easily turn into conflict. Many times the conflict escalates because family members may find it hard to confront each other and/or the issues. This results in huge losses of energy, both physically and emotionally. We can help families work through many kinds of issues including:

• lending and/or collecting money loaned
• sharing responsibilities for caring for family members
• assets left in a will
• Parent and youth relationships
  • Sometimes the conflict within families generated as children grow up can be difficult to manage. Youths, typically in middle school and high school, and their parent/parents may find mediation a valuable tool to working out expectations, revising family rules, and coming to common understandings of how rules will be enforced.
• conflict in the lives of senior citizen's and their families
  • adult sibling disagreement over the care of a frail and elderly parent,
  • conflict between seniors and their children over selling the family home
  • parents' move to a new setting like an assisted living facility
  • tensions arising from three generations of a family living together
  • conflicts related to financial and estate matters.

Relationships are complicated. As a result people may want the help of mediators to guide their communication as they work through conflicts in their interpersonal relationship, marriage, or committed relationship. They can make agreements as to how they will deal with recurring issues, fights, or misunderstandings. If they have decided to end their marriage or committed relationship, they can mediate aspects of their dissolution such as a parenting plan for their children and the division of their assets (property) and liabilities (debt).
Dissolution/divorce, parenting plans.

Mediation provides an opportunity and environment for mutually and efficiently resolving issues of communication, separation, division of debt and property, and other matters in a private, safe, and positive environment. With the help of certified skilled mediators, parties share their views and have the opportunity to address important issues in a cooperative constructive way. Resolutions are created together and accepted by BOTH parties that reflect the individual values and needs of both.

Mediation will help you:

• Consider the needs of your children first,
• Retain control over the outcome,
• Remove the unpredictability of trial,
• Minimize the financial impact on your lives,
• Reduce the delay, cost, and emotional turmoil so often associated with divorce and other family issues,
• Express your needs and concerns,
• Be creative in your problem solving beyond the ability of a judge,
• Reduce the likelihood of post-divorce disputes,
• Heal your family and rebuild your lives under more positive terms.

Mediation is a voluntary process that provides an opportunity and environment for mutually and efficiently resolving issues of communication, separation, child custody, visitation, and other parenting matters in a private, safe, and positive environment. With the help of certified skilled mediators, parties share their views and have the opportunity to address important issues in a cooperative constructive way. Resolutions are created together and accepted by BOTH parties that reflect the individual values and needs of both.

The state of Washington requires that parents must have a "Parenting Plan" for any children from the marriage before a judge will grant a divorce. Mediators can assist parents with the issues of the parenting plan while at the same time helping parties emotionally clean up unresolved issues, plan for healthy communication in the future, and create plans for dealing with potential future issues such as transfer of the children, ongoing changing needs as the children grow, and new partners in either parent's life. It is vital to the emotional and physical health of children that divorcing parents move through the pain of the past and back to the role of fully functioning parents. When parents can't move on their children suffer in school, in peer relationships and in self esteem. Conflict is expensive.

Mediation will help you:

• Consider the needs of your children first,
• Retain control over the outcome,
• Remove the unpredictability of trial,
• Minimize the financial impact on your lives,
• Reduce the delay, cost, and emotional turmoil so often associated with divorce and other family issues,
• Express your needs and concerns,
• Be creative in your problem solving beyond the ability of a judge,
• Reduce the likelihood of post-divorce disputes,
• Heal your family and rebuild your lives under more positive terms.

Disputes revolving around relationships between people who have a common or shared interest, typically neighbors/ friends can benefit from mediation. Parties agree to try mediation to resolve the issues and to develop improved communication skills.

These types of conflict might include any of the following issues but are not limited to these. Mediation can help with your unique situation.

• disputes over a barking dog
• other animal control issues.
• shared property line issues
• issues that have resulted in repeated calls to police/sheriff to have them control the other party
• code enforcement issues
• issues where someone may have considered taking out anti-harassment orders

These cases involve a conflict between a consumer/customer and a business. They are generally disputes over issues related to services or products/goods that have been purchased, or contracted for, with a business. Our mediators will help all parties involved express their concerns and work out a mutually beneficial resolution. The results save money and time, and preserve or build customer relations; as well as the reputation of the business. If you are a business owner we can help you provide distinguished customer service.

There are times when people who work together don't get along. When the conflict affects people's ability to do their jobs, assistance may be needed to resolve the problems by mediating the conflict and their continuing relationship.

Mediation is an effective and efficient process to help resolve employment disputes. A neutral mediator can assist parties in reaching a voluntary, negotiated agreement. Choosing to resolve employment disputes through mediation promotes a better work environment, reduces costs, and brings satisfaction for employees and employers. According to Halvorson Human Resources, the cost of employee turnover ranges from approximately 3 months pay for an hourly worker to $145,000 for a hi–tech employee. Conflict is expensive.

Since mediation is both voluntary and confidential, the employer's expectations regarding the involved employees' participation and desire for a copy of the mediated agreement must be worked out between the employer, employees and the DRC in advance of the mediation.

Mediation is an effective and efficient process to help work out issues related to housing. We can help you work out a conflict with a landlord, tenant, contractor, roommate, realtor, or client in any of the following areas, as well as your unique situation.

• rental agreements
• real estate
• construction projects
• remodeling, repairs
• roommate situations
• shared bills

Mediation is an effective and efficient process to help work out issues related to real estate transactions, property disputes, and boundary issues.

Mediation is a voluntary process that provides an opportunity and environment for mutually and efficiently resolving small claims issues in a private, safe, and positive environment. With the help of certified skilled mediators, parties share their views and have the opportunity to address important issues in a cooperative constructive way. Resolutions that reflect the individual values and needs of both parties are created together and accepted by BOTH parties. Mediation allows you to be creative in your problem solving beyond the ability of a judge.

Mediation sessions are scheduled in 3 hour blocks of time. If you have filed a case in District Court you will have no additional fee. Otherwise, each party has a fee for each 3 hour session. Your fee is determined on a sliding scale based on your income. The total number of sessions it will take depends on the complexity of the situation and the participants' ability to cooperate. Most small claims cases can be settled in one session. Mediation is intended to be a short-term process. In most small claims cases neither party is completely right or wrong. As a result, your Chelan County District Court Judges encourage you to try to settle your case before the trial.

Mediation will help you:

• Retain control over the outcome,
• Remove the unpredictability of trial,
• Reduce the delay, cost, and emotional turmoil so often associated with conflict,
• Express your needs and concerns,
• Increase the likelihood of compliance,
• Help you move forward under more positive terms.