Conflict is sometimes a productive force, but left unchecked it can have a corrosive effect on our personal and professional lives.

Mediation resolves most issues in a collaborative, timely, and cost-efficient way. Most importantly, it can restore relationships and help develop skills to prevent the conflict from arising in the future. Flexibility is at the core of mediation, as any agreement or resolution is entirely of the parties’ making. In essence, a mediation is a facilitated negotiation, and as mediator I manage the process for the parties.

The Core Principles of Mediation

• Voluntary: Your attendance at a mediation must be entirely voluntary, and you may therefore leave at any time you wish.

• Confidential: The entire mediation process is confidential as between the mediator and the parties. Only in very strictly defined circumstances may this confidentiality be breached, e.g., in the case of criminal activity.

• Self-Determinative: You decide the outcome that best suits you and your situation, rather than have a court judgement imposed upon you. Equally, as a mediator I am there to facilitate a negotiation between the parties, rather than suggest solutions. The parties to the dispute reach a mutually acceptable resolution, one that works for them.

• Impartial: As mediator, I remain neutral and impartial at all times.
  

How it works:

Once you contact me, I will make contact with each of the parties to organise a pre-mediation talk about their situation, and during this talk I will gather information and explain further about mediation and what it involves.

After these initial meetings, you will proceed to the mediation. In the opening session there is a brief discussion about the form of the mediation and the parties agree certain things such as to be mindful and respectful of each other’s views.

The mediation then proceeds - each party has the opportunity to speak without interruption. Following on from these initial statements of position, the mediation then continues with the parties openly discussing their positions. It is my task as mediator to facilitate this negotiation, and I guide and control of the process. During the mediation either I or one of the parties may wish to speak in private outside of the mediation room, and this is referred to as a ‘caucus’. If this occurs, I will always give equal caucus time to the other party to ensure impartiality.

Ideas and suggestions are put forward by the parties, as they work towards a mutually-acceptable solution. Matters are talked through until the parties have arrived at their agreement, or if preferred a Memorandum of Understanding.

Contact me for a no-obligation informal chat about mediation services.

I completed my mediation training with the Mediator’s Institute of Ireland in 2022.