Mediation Services

Reducing Costs

There are several ways you can reduce the cost of mediation, by reducing the number of sessions:

• Increase session productivity by arriving early and starting on time, being well fed/rested, and being prepared to focus on the issues.
• Do your homework! At the end of each session you will each have a list of information to gather, requiring actions of one or both parties. Having this information available or question settled will increase the productivity and flow of the following sessions.
• Take time to think and feel through issues and decisions ahead of time. The agenda for the next session will identify items for discussion and negotiation. The more time you spend considering your needs, values and goals around each of these issues, the less time it takes to explore those during each session.
• Discuss and negotiate some items directly with the other party, outside of the mediation session. While people generally come to mediation daunted with disputes and issues, a skilled mediator will help deconstruct and define the many decisions that are related to the issues. If both parties are willing and can trust their capacity for respectful communication, the parties might be able to discuss and make some of the smaller decisions on their own . . . saving the things they get stuck on for the mediation session. For example, the parties in a separation might be able to agree how to divide most of their personal belongings on their own, but might get stuck and need the mediator's help with deciding if either or neither party remains in the household.