Family Mediation Services
Do you have conflict with your co-parent about parenting strategies and decision-making? Are you wanting to resolve conflict with your pre-teen and teenage children? Wouldn’t it be great to have an empathetic, neutral, and non-judgemental mediator help create a safe and respectful environment where you could talk about issues that are affecting your family? Echo Parenting & Education mediators have expertise not only in dispute resolution, but also in child development and interpersonal neurobiology. We help to uncover the needs underneath family conflict, and to create the environment for safe discussion.
What is Mediation?
Mediation is a process of solving conflict and working out problems. A mediator is a neutral person who has the role of helping people communicate and talk through problems. The mediator helps participants identify problems and the needs behind them, identify possible solutions, and move to resolution.
Mediation for families is a process that can help parents work out conflicts that are affecting their children. It is an opportunity to have everyone’s needs heard in a safe and neutral place. Mediation for families can help parents work out solutions that support their children’s emotional needs.
Who is this service for?
1. Parent Mediation – Mediation for parents assists parents who are in conflict about their child-raising strategies. This service is for parents who are currently partners, as well as separated and divorced couples. Issues may include: discipline strategies, educational issues, relationships with other family members, economic issues, religious practice, etc.
2. Family Mediation – Mediation for families is for parents and their children ages 11-17 who are in conflict. Issues may include school problems, substance use, household issues, communication issues, and problems related to living in more than one household, etc.
3. Caregiver/Parent Mediation – Mediation for caregivers (nannies, babysitters, childcare workers) and parents will assist parents and their children’s caregivers in resolving conflict relating to child-raising strategies, roles and responsibilities.
How mediation works at Echo Parenting & Education
One parent or both parents contact the center and ask for family mediation. A mediator will then contact both parents to gather some basic information about the situation. Even if one parent contacts the mediator first, the mediator is not “working for” that parent. The mediator will then set up a time that works for everyone to meet. A mediation session usually lasts 2-3 hours. Mediation can be a one-time event, or can be a series of up to three sessions over time to work out a more complex set of issues.
To schedule a mediation session, or for more information about this program, please contact Glenda Linares: glinares@echoparenting.org or 213.484.6676 ext 310.
