Community Mediation Concepts

Over a decade ago we began working with conflict. Early on it came in the form of neighbors fighting with their neighbors over how they would live next each other. Conflict often began around landscaping, barking dogs, noisy kids, parking cars; but quickly we discovered they always involved more.

Within a few months we were asked to provide conflict resolution for a successful business impacting a neighborhood. The room was packed with over 125 people, we helped them identify issues, pick representatives and work through their differing opinions. They were successful.

We've grown from there. We provide conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation, training, and much more for municipalities, nonprofits, state agencies, and private companies.

CMC is committed to "Helping People Talk to People" in ways that encourage people in conflict to talk, listen and reach a cooperative resolution, resulting in establishing an environment of trust and respect.

CMC's approach to conflict resolution through mediation and facilitated conversations is -

Effective. Providing positive and lasting solutions because people involved and affected by the conflict are those who create and agree upon the resolution. They care, because they have buy-in and commitment to the solution they worked to find.
Objective. CMC's mediators don't take sides, advocate for, make decisions for, or represent any of the people at the table. We're the objective, neutral, nonprofit, third party you call when you're caught in conflict.
Confidential. All those involved agree to a level of confidentiality required to create the "safe place" so necessary for working from positions to issues, and then on to options and outcomes.
Voluntary. You're there because you choose to be.
Efficient. CMC can help you save time, money and energy working directly together to find your own solutions.
Beneficial. We'll help you stay focused on problem solving, expectations, communication and what it takes to resolve the conflict.
Professional. CMC's mediators all have training, an internship, mentoring and ongoing evaluation. They're good!

Rebecca Weinstine, in her book, has explained mediation and what CMC does well -

Mediation is a process in which an impartial third party assists people in conflict to resolve their dispute.
Mediation is practical, strategic problem solving that also reflects the emotional and personal needs of the participants.
Resolutions designed during mediation aim to produce long-term solutions; they seek to address underlying causes and do not merely address the superficial arguments.
Mediation also focuses on strengthening relationships and teaching skills that will better equip people to address, or even avoid, conflict in the future.
Mediated resolutions are designed for long-term success without future intervention because complex interpersonal and circumstantial issues are not overlooked in the resolution.
Mediated solutions are not imposed.
They are individually formulated to the mutual satisfaction of the parties.
Interestingly, this personalized approach is time-efficient and cost-effective and used widely in diverse setting; less cumbersome than many other conflict resolution processes and extremely successful.
Mediation has been dubbed "miraculous" by some observers, and it is true that to those trapped in a dead-end dispute, mediation may seem like a miracle.
It is certainly clear that mediation has proved to be an excellent option for conflict resolution when other traditional approaches have failed.

"CMC - Helping People Talk to People"