WHAT IS MEDIATION?
Options for Resolving DisputesDoes that sign to the right seem familiar? Take a minute and look at it. Imagine now that you arrive at a sign like that in your life, in your business, in your relationship - and you are not sure what to do next.
Perhaps the next step is Mediation. Mediation is an informal, voluntary and confidential process in which a trained professional mediator facilitates understanding, communication and negotiation between disputing parties. Our trained professional mediators help you to explore options for resolution. We help to bring balance to an uneven playing field. We help you to be heard and to hear the others in the dispute. |
Mitchell GordonMitch, Founder and Mediator at Mitchell Mediation, has been engaged in dispute resolution since the mid 1980s. He began his work as negotiator in the collective bargaining process - at times as a member of the bargaining unit, at other times as a member of management. He studied Collective Bargaining and Arbitration at Cornell University's Labor Relations Institute extension and then continued his studies in Mediation at Harvard's Master's Program in Education, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Worcester Community Mediation Program, Harvard Program on Negotiation, and Mediation Works Inc (MWI). Mitch is also a founding member of MBBI (Mediators Beyond Borders International, and ISIM (International Society for Improvised Music).
He served on the board of advisers to the Harvard Negotiation Insight Initiative and the Abraham Path Initiative. He served on the board for the National Association for Community Mediation, and has provided mediation training to law enforcement, human resources, colleges and universities, mediators, lawyers, judges, Fortune 500 Companies, the UN's World Food Programme in Rome, and the Israeli-Palestinian Negotiating Partners Program. Mitch has special interest in elder mediation, matrimonial mediation (divorce, mediation to stay married, and mediation before getting married), working with nonprofit organizations and NGOs, and working with two party or multiple parties in civil and other disputes, and working with Jewish organizations (synagogues, associations, community centers) during times of conflict and tension. |
TRAINING
Resources and solutions for all; solutions that workIn addition to Mediation services, Mitchell Mediation offers training to organizations and individuals, tailored to meet your needs. Examples of some of these highly successful trainings include:
Being Present – This workshop is designed to help understand the quality of truly being present for ourselves, our organizations and each other when we try to communicate. It involves role playing, mindfulness practices, an exploration of contemplative techniques for the work place and meditation. Understanding and Managing Transitions – Based on the work of William Bridges this workshop presents a better understanding of transition as it impacts on us in a personal and organizational way. Change is external and happens to us, while transition is an internal psychological and physiological occurrence that we need to understand in order to get ourselves and our organizations and our families through them. Understanding and Managing Conflict in Synagogues - This workshop is usually offered in multiple sessions to accommodate the wide variety of issues and topics to be covered. Synagogues and Jewish based organizations such as Jewish Federations and youth groups, are not immune from conflict. Conflicts arise between clergy, lay leaders, congregants, families, within the congregation, on committees, on the board, and between religious organizations. The tension and angst as well as the impact of conflict on the day to day operations of a synagogue can divide congregations and damage friendships. This workshop is rooted in the tools of conflict resolution and communication while working within the foundations of Judaism. Conflict Resolution and Difficult Conversations – Negotiating and solving problems inside a nonprofit, among staff members, between board members, with donors and sponsors, and between family members can be tricky. Sometimes it is wise to separate the people from the problem, and sometimes the people are the problem. Based on techniques and tools used in international negotiations and business negotiations, created at the Harvard Program on Negotiation and other pedagogy, this workshop helps the participants recognize issues, plan and strategize and engage in win-win outcomes. Foundations of Mediation and Conflict Resolution as applied to your business - Every business, affinity group/association and family is engaged in conflict at some level. Understanding the tools of mediation, negotiation, communication and conflict resolution will help reduce and prevent conflict. Mediation and conflict resolution is, in part, about building bridges between parties within a dispute. Tailored to your specific situation, this workshop (usually 10 - 20 hours) uses real world examples (often provided by you and your organization) to help manage, resolve and prevent conflict. Basic Mediation Training - This 40 hour program meets all the criteria set forth by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for mediators appearing in court related context. Using role play, lecture/demonstration and classroom experience students learn the skills that allow them to take part in community mediation across Massachusetts. Advanced Mediation Training - Advanced skills and techniques in mediation are always evolving. These course are offered to mediators with a minimum background of the completion of the Basic Mediation Training and 10 hours of mediation or co-mediation in the field. |