There’s no doubt about it; conflict is hard. It can create friction in relationships, tension in our bodies, and turbulence in our inner worlds. The good news is you don't need to stay stuck. Conflict mediation can strengthen relationships, restore trust, and open up possibilities that seem unimaginable right now. Take a look below to learn what it's like to do conflict mediation through Crossing the Flood.
Why Choose Conflict Mediation
It takes courage to turn toward the fire of conflict. And yet so much good can come of it.
As a mediator, I see it as my role to walk alongside all parties who have found themselves in this conflict. To witness what’s happening, hold a container of safety and compassion, help you speak and listen in new ways, ask questions to get to the root of things, and support you in working toward resolution.
Bringing a conflict to mediation is a demonstration that something here matters. Perhaps you’re coworkers who wish to find more ease working together, family members, partners or housemates who wish to move through tension in order to get your relationships back on track. Perhaps you are in a contractual relationship, like landlord/tenant, or employee/manager, and you are seeking a path through a conflict relating to money, employment, broken agreements or mismatched expectations.
I deeply believe most conflicts are workable, and when we engage them we deepen relationships and restore trust. For any which are not, you have my commitment to be honest with you upfront, and to recommend alternative courses of action.
What’s It Like to Be in Mediation
My approach brings a mixture of one-on-one conflict coaching as well as live facilitated conversations between you and those you’re in conflict with. Here are the basic steps:
Intake
To begin, I meet with each party for one-on-one intake calls of up to an hour to get to know you each, explain the mediation process, and get to know the conflict from your perspective.
Assessment
After completing intake, I take time to review the information I’ve gathered and report back with my assessment and recommendations. Mediation can be a powerful tool for moving through conflict, but is not appropriate in all contexts. Most importantly, successful mediation requires that all parties be willing to share their truths and listen to one another’s perspectives. If I assess that mediation is a good fit, we’ll schedule our first mediation sessions at this time. If not, I’ll report back with recommendations on what to do next instead.
Mediation
Mediation sessions offer powerful opportunities to stand in your truth and be heard, while also listening in new ways to hear other truths and perspectives. All sessions start with a short guided meditation and a review of ground rules, after which each person is given uninterrupted time to share their personal perspective. From there, we’ll choose a topic or two to focus on in our time together. Some mediations end in development of agreements and next steps, others resolve when tension in the relationship has been eased, misunderstandings clarified, and trust rebuilt.
Coaching
Most conflicts take 2-3 sessions to resolve. In between each, I offer one-on-one coaching to all parties as a space to reflect on what happened, what you’re learning, and what you will try next. In these spaces we’ll also review and practice tools for active listening and conscious communication.
It takes courage to turn toward the fire of conflict. And yet so much good can come of it.
- Deeper relationships.
- Resolution of emotional tension.
- More self-awareness
- Getting to say what needs to be said
- Getting to be heard by the person/people who need to hear you.
- Identifying solutions all parties can agree to.
- Renewing a sense of strength and security in yourself.
As a mediator, I see it as my role to walk alongside all parties who have found themselves in this conflict. To witness what’s happening, hold a container of safety and compassion, help you speak and listen in new ways, ask questions to get to the root of things, and support you in working toward resolution.
Bringing a conflict to mediation is a demonstration that something here matters. Perhaps you’re coworkers who wish to find more ease working together, family members, partners or housemates who wish to move through tension in order to get your relationships back on track. Perhaps you are in a contractual relationship, like landlord/tenant, or employee/manager, and you are seeking a path through a conflict relating to money, employment, broken agreements or mismatched expectations.
I deeply believe most conflicts are workable, and when we engage them we deepen relationships and restore trust. For any which are not, you have my commitment to be honest with you upfront, and to recommend alternative courses of action.
What’s It Like to Be in Mediation
My approach brings a mixture of one-on-one conflict coaching as well as live facilitated conversations between you and those you’re in conflict with. Here are the basic steps:
Intake
To begin, I meet with each party for one-on-one intake calls of up to an hour to get to know you each, explain the mediation process, and get to know the conflict from your perspective.
Assessment
After completing intake, I take time to review the information I’ve gathered and report back with my assessment and recommendations. Mediation can be a powerful tool for moving through conflict, but is not appropriate in all contexts. Most importantly, successful mediation requires that all parties be willing to share their truths and listen to one another’s perspectives. If I assess that mediation is a good fit, we’ll schedule our first mediation sessions at this time. If not, I’ll report back with recommendations on what to do next instead.
Mediation
Mediation sessions offer powerful opportunities to stand in your truth and be heard, while also listening in new ways to hear other truths and perspectives. All sessions start with a short guided meditation and a review of ground rules, after which each person is given uninterrupted time to share their personal perspective. From there, we’ll choose a topic or two to focus on in our time together. Some mediations end in development of agreements and next steps, others resolve when tension in the relationship has been eased, misunderstandings clarified, and trust rebuilt.
Coaching
Most conflicts take 2-3 sessions to resolve. In between each, I offer one-on-one coaching to all parties as a space to reflect on what happened, what you’re learning, and what you will try next. In these spaces we’ll also review and practice tools for active listening and conscious communication.