Mediation

- Mediation is a process in which people with a conflict work with a neutral adviser to reach an agreement that addresses the needs of all participants/ It allows you the opportunity to be heard and understood, and to hear and understand the other party. It is not adversarial; it helps you work with the other party to solve your dispute. You design the agreement so that it specifically addresses your concerns.

• Mediation allows you to solve your dispute in cooperation with the other party. Judges and attorneys recognize that immediate litigation is not always the best way to reslove conflicts, particularly between family memebers.
• Mediation is not a win-lose situation. You have a chance to get past your anger and direct your attention to resolving the dispute at hand. Relationships between family members can sometimes be damaged by the adversarial nature of direct litigation.
• Mediation promotes trust, cooperation, and respect.
• Mediation can reduce the cost, time, and stress of resolving conflicts. The mediator is there to help focus on the critical issues and assist in finding useful and creative methods to solve problems. No one is pressured to give up his or her rights, and the participants are in control of the outcome.
• One of the main objectives in family mediation is to protect the interests of children. Another priority is to help parents establish and/or maintain consistent involvement in their children's lives. Children are often severely affected by conflict between parents, and the child's stress can lead to incidents of juvenile delinquency and other self-destructive behavior.
• You do not need to file a case with the Court in order to obtain mediation services; however if you want/are in need of an actual Court Order, you must file papers with the Court and then be referred to mediation therafter.

You do not need to file a case with the Court in order to obtain mediation services.

- Mediation sessions scheduled with Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center are commonly held in the lobby area conference rooms of our courthouse on Mondays.

-Visit the "Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center" website from the link below or call them at:

                                     (540) 347-6650.

http://www.piedmontdisputeresolution.org/pg5.cfm