When I created the chart below, I was thinking about family mediation, because that’s what I do. Most of the benefits, however, apply to many different kinds of disputes or conflicts.
It could be a landlord-tenant issue, a dispute between a homeowner and a contractor, a serious quarrel among neighbors about parking or pets, a business dispute, a personal injury lawsuit, a workplace dispute, a disagreement about a real estate contract, or anything else that people sometimes fight about in court. Many of the prospective plaintiffs and defendants in these cases would save time and money, avoid a lot of distress, and retain some degree of control of the resolution of the problem if they worked with a good mediator instead of asking a judge to decide the matter. When the decisions were made, they might also walk away with better (or less damaged) relationships.
Mediation is a wonderful process for handling a wide variety of issues.
Virginia L Colin, Ph.D. is a Professional Family Mediator certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia. She is not an attorney or a therapist.
