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DISPUTE

RESOLUTION

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Our Virginia Supreme Court certified mediators offer a variety of dispute resolution services for the workplace (EEO, interpersonal relations, inter- and intra- agency), community, contracts, public policy, and interpersonal conflicts.

 

Our services include: mediation, restorative justice, conflict prevention/resolution training, large group problem solving and conflict coaching. 5 Fold Consulting partners with, NVMS Conflict Resolution Center, providing mediation, training and facilitation services.

 

Mediation

Mediation is a voluntary, confidential process in which two or more people involved in a dispute meet in a private, confidential setting, and with the help of a neutral person (mediator) work out their own solution to their dispute. 

 

Benefits of mediation

  • Greater flexibility and parties remain in control.   Parties define the issues and the terms of the agreement.

  • More satisfaction:  People who resolve problems through mediation often report that they feel better after having solved it themselves without someone else making the decision.

  • Fairly quick: Mediation cases typically are resolved in days or a few weeks rather than months or more in litigation. Mediation is scheduled at times convenient for you, the other party or parties, and the mediator.

  • Preserves relationships: Successful mediation can lay the groundwork for collaborative; non-confrontational problem solving and helps preserve important relationships.

Mediation
RJ

Restorative Processes

Restorative practice principles focus on repairing harm to people and relationships and holding people accountable for their actions rather than on assigning blame and imposing only negative consequences. 

 

Restorative practice principles include:  

  • Creating an environment of respect and inclusion

  • Personal accountability

  • Building community and commitment to relationships

  • Collaborative problem solving and decision making

  • Empowerment

 

Restorative practices are used in the workplace, religious organizations, community, justice, and legal systems, and government for groups to discuss difficult issues by creating a structure that allows everyone involved an equal voice in the discussion.

 

Restorative practices can be very helpful in dealing with youth behavior by addressing "thinking errors"

and helping youth develop better decision-making skills. Issues include vandalism, noise, bullying,    

school attendance, issues with neighbors, shoplifting, etc.

 

Nathalie Thompson works with NVMS Conflict Resolution Services as a Restorative Justice Facilitator in their Alternative Accountability Program, a collaborative community-oriented response to juvenile crime.

Dialogue

Dialogue Circles

Peacemaking and Talking Circles are structured processes used to bring people together in a safe, nonjudgmental place to better understand one another, build and strengthen bonds and solve community problems together to engage in a sharing of authentic personal reactions and feelings that are owned by each individual and acknowledged by others, related to a conflict, crisis, issue, or even to a reaction to a speaker, book or film.

 

Dialogue Circles are useful when people want to:

 

  • Make decisions together, building consensus

  • Develop a spirit of cooperation and collaborative skills

  • Work through differences, difficult issues, painful experiences

  • Repair, heal and build relationships and a sense of community

  • Develop agreements that bring resolution and closure

  • Plan for the future

  • Ritualize or symbolize connections, transitions, significant change

  • Celebrate

  • Share difficulties

  • Learn from each other

  • Achieve greater mutual understanding

 

Dialogue circles provide:

  • Shared leadership, equality - Placing everyone in a circle minimize structural distinctions between "teacher" and "learner" and sets a tone of equal participation and equal capacity to teach and learn among all participants.

  • Visual contact among all participants at all times - In a circle, no one is looking at anyone else's back. It is easier to listen and hear when there are direct sight and sound lines among participants.

  • Focus - The structure of the circle focuses attention on the participants and the task of the circle and reduces distractions.

  • Connection - The circle links all participants to one another encouraging a sense of shared effort or common purpose.

  • Respect/accountability - Because everyone in a circle can see everyone else, disrespectful behavior such as side conversations or demeaning non-verbal actions are discouraged. If it happens it becomes obvious to everyone in the circle.

  • Input and participation from all - Use of the technique of going around the circle providing each person with a chance to speak ensures that everyone has an opportunity to be heard and reduces the domination of discussion by a small number of people.

  • Inclusion - In a circle, no one feels isolated or left out.

  • Guidelines -- Circle participants to meet the needs of the group create guidelines. Guidelines institute a covenant defining how people will interact and share space and time as a group.

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