FAMILY MEDIATION
Although much of our mediation work involves families going through divorce, that is certainly not a prerequisite for mediation to occur in the family context. We are available to assist families in conflict – whether that involves parents, parents and children, children only - or any other combination of family members.
At Lotane Mediation, we practice within the transformative model of mediation in all family cases. We feel that the transformative model is most valuable in family situations where the parties will have an ongoing relationship long after the mediation has ended. Conflict within families is normal, and no one should pretend that any one conflict, once resolved, will prevent other conflicts from arising in the future.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb which says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Our sentiments exactly. We see little value in resolving one immediate dispute unless the parties gain skills that will help them to work out conflicts that will inevitably arise in the future.
By helping all family members gain strength through empowerment and appreciate the views and feelings of other family members through recognition - hallmarks of transformative mediation - the hope is that the relationship between family members itself will be transformed, allowing them to deal with each other more effectively in the future when conflicts arise.
