Common Ground Negotiation Services

Separation & Divorce
Decision-making during separation and divorce can be both painful and contentious. In mediation a neutral can assist the parties by walking them through the details of custody, (click here for Definitions of Custody and Criteria for Joint Custody) parenting schedules, property issues, child and spousal support, and planning for the future of their children. In Norm-Educating Mediation, the mediator may offer legal information, social science research, and tools for negotiation. (click here for an explanation of Norm-Educating Mediation). Mediation allows parties to assume responsibility for and control over decisions, and to protect their rights. (click here for Roles and Responsibilities of Attorneys and Mediators) In addition mediation offers an opportunity to work out plans for ongoing communication and decision-making when there are children involved. Choosing a model of mediation as well as a specific mediator that meets your requirements, is recommended (click here for Categories of Mediation Models).

Parenting
Whether parents are in a couple relationship or have ended the it, differences in values around raising children are often a source of tension and conflict. Mediation provides a way to address these differences while supporting each parent’s efforts to be the best parent they can be. Joint legal custody requires parents who are no longer in a couple relationship to work together to make decisions (click here for Co-Parenting Guidelines). While many courts, lawyers and mediators presume that joint custody is in the best interest of the child, research indicates that ongoing conflict before or after separation, is not beneficial to children. Parents have the shared legal right to raise their children, which becomes complicated after separation when they maintain two different households and children go back and forth. (click here for The Right To Privacy and the Family)

Parent-Child
Conflict between parents and children is nothing new. Each generation of parents struggles not to make the same mistakes their parents made. Each new generation of children seeks to find its way in a world their parents know nothing about. (click here for Mediation and Parenting) Mediation between parents and children differs from other types of mediation in that it is still the parents’ job to make the decisions. However, honest input from children (who want parents to make the decisions) may be surprising, and can be invaluable in guiding parents to make the best decisions possible.

Relationships
Mediation is an effective process for addressing issues in ongoing relationships. It differs from therapy in a variety of ways (click here for Comparison of Law, Mediation, and Therapy Chart). Learning to use the tools of negotiation (click here for explanations of Dialogue and Negotiation) in our most important relationships is a sorely neglected part of our education system. Learning negotiation skills in relationships (click here for Relationship Cycle Chart), increases the potential for addressing conflicts with family members, friends and/or colleagues. (click here for Relationship Meeting Guidelines)

Family Decision-Making with the Elderly
Families are now called upon to make decisions with and for their aging parents or family members which have become increasingly complicated by geographical, economic, and emotional factors. The elder generation may need and want support from their children, but still want to keep control of their own lives. (click here for Family Decision with the Elderly). In situations where a family member may be losing capacity for decision-making, mediation is a way to bring all concerned parties together to make decisions collaboratively and assign tasks.

Workplace
We probably spend more time with the people we work with than our families. Work relationships can be as challenging as other intimate relationships, and can have as much impact on both our financial and emotional well-being. Dealing with employer-employee conflicts in mediation inherently involves an imbalance of power, which mediation cannot override. (click here for The Sustainable Knowledge Model of Norm-Educating Mediation). Both employers and employees need to clearly understand the boundaries around confidentiality and the limitations of the person in authority regarding decision-making, which are considerations in deciding whether or not to mediate. Mediation between employees can be valuable in diffusing hostilities that create unhealthy work environments.

Group Facilitation
Group facilitation is based on dialogue and negotiation (click here for explanations of Dialogue and Negotiation) tools that are used to either create a new vision of an organization, or to address internal conflicts. All key players are part of the planning and design of the process. The model used by Common Ground Negotiation Services is based on the principles of sustainable development (click here for Sustainable Knowledge Model of Group Facilitation).

Negotiation Coaching
Use of negotiation coaching can be productive between mediation sessions, in order to bring parties back into mediation better prepared to negotiate. Negotiation Coaching (click here for Negotiation Coaching) provides the parties with help in formulating proposals and in looking for ways to satisfy both their own and the other parties’ needs (click here for Negotiation Elements).