Do you or someone you know have concerns about safety? Do you or someone you know need help resolving a conflict peacefully?
CVVC’s conflict resolution and mediation programs support people in resolving conflict, and building and restoring relationships. If you would like assistance with resolving a conflict, CVVC’s trained mediators are available to assist individuals, families, and groups communicate their differences constructively in order to resolve conflicts peacefully.

What is Mediation?
Mediation is a way of resolving conflicts. In mediation, people involved in a conflict sit down and talk with each other face-to-face about the situation at hand. Often, mediation participants haven’t had an opportunity to talk with each other, or if they have, the conversation hasn’t been productive. Mediators are present at the mediation to support the participants in having a conversation where everyone has a chance to hear the other person’s perspective and share their own.

Participants make their own decisions during the mediation process. They decide what is discussed and what to focus on, whether it’s understanding what has happened in the past or figuring out how to handle the future. Any agreements can be written up by the mediators, either with the intent to be legally binding or not, based on what the participants want.

What Do the Mediators Do?
The mediators’ job is to make sure that everyone understands how mediation works and that they are comfortable with the process. The mediators listen to everyone and may ask questions. Their main goal is helping participants have a constructive conversation
about the situation.
Mediators don’t make decisions or force solutions on anyone. As a result, mediated agreements are often more satisfying to both sides than the alternative—a court’s judgment.

What Kinds of Cases Can be Mediated?
Almost any disagreement involving individuals or organizations can be mediated. Mediation is an excellent option when the people involved in the conflict have an on-going relationship, such as family members or neighbors. Mediation can even help resolve conflicts that have gone on for many years. Mediation can assist with:

• Neighbor/Neighbor conflicts (noise, parking, property lines, harassment)
• Landlord/Tenant conflicts (rent, privacy, damage)
• Business/Consumer conflicts (dissatisfaction, non-payment) Youth/Adult conflicts (family conflict, vandalism)
• Employer/Employee conflicts (working & communication styles)
• Elder Mediation

Mediation is Worthwhile:

• It costs less than going to court. Fees are based on income and usually total between $10-100 for individuals. Organizations pay $100/hr per mediator. Call for details.
• It takes less time than going to court.
• It is private and confidential.
• It is convenient. Usually mediations occur at a location near the participants’ homes or workplaces. We work with individual schedules.
• It gives the participants control over how the dispute is resolved.
• Mediation participants have an opportunity to come to an understanding, so it’s possible that the conflict situation will improve.

Mediation Really Works:
Here is what some of our clients said about mediation in a recent survey:

“It was useful to express myself in a safe, comfortable environment”

“I was impressed with the mediation service, and the mediators were very professional.”

“Mediation helped me understand the people around me….”

“Overall…a very good experience”

How Do I Contact Mediation Services?
Anyone can contact us for help with a conflict by calling CVVC’s 24-Hour Helpline at 412-392-8582. The Mediation Intake Coordinator will respond quickly to your call, provide more details about the mediation process and contact the person you are in conflict with to arrange a mediation meeting. You do not have to ask the other person to participate before calling.

Conflict Solutions
The Dialogue and Resolution Center staff can help you improve productivity and morale. Provide forums where people feel heard and give leaders and staff the help and skills they need to clarify problems.

Do you and your employees struggle with any of these issues?

• Angry or demanding customers
• Clients who are hard to understand due to cultural differences
• Coworkers who have difficulty communicating or working together
• Personal or trauma-related problems contributing to absenteeism
• Staff issues that challenge managers and supervisors

Is your community or organization experiencing any of the following?

• Intense conflict in large or public meetings
• Mergers of different organizational cultures
• High demands and limited resources
• Culture clashes in schools, workplaces, or neighborhoods

Our professional mediators and trainers will meet with your representatives to clarify objectives and design customized services—the highest quality, lowest cost workplace and community conflict resolution services in the region. We deliver:

• Skills training in conflict management, communication, negotiation, facilitation, cultural sensitivity, trauma-informed care, customer service, and more
• Mediation to get to the heart of the matter and resolve the most difficult issues
• Facilitation of large and small groups and community meetings
  
• Conflict coaching to assist managers, work
  teams, and individual employees
• Team-building activities to improve collaboration and creativity