Services

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Mediation services are offered to people with with scheduled hearings in the small claims sessions of the Gardner, Fitchburg, Leominster and Winchendon District Courts. Our mediation coordinator or volunteers are present at each of these small claims sessions.  They explain the mediation process to parties present and are available to mediate there and then.  Parties can also avail themselves of mediation before the trial date by contacting our office in advance

Mediation requires cooperation from both parties and a willingness to be flexible. Mediation is voluntary, either party has the right to refuse to mediate. If the mediation is not successful, the parties return to the courtroom and have their hearing before the Clerk Magistrate, as originally planned.

Through mediation parties can reach a successful resolution on which all participants have agreed, more often than not.

The overarching goal of community mediation is to prevent the escalation of violence in the community by helping residents to talk through their conflicts, with the assistance of volunteer community mediators.

Often, community-based conflicts are complex and require multiple mediation sessions. Typical conflicts referred to mediation include:

contract and money disputes

property damage

neighborhood feuds

landlord/tenant

noise complaints

parent/child

parent/parent 

sibling/sibling

other community disturbances

Mediations give all participants the opportunity to have a neutral third party facilitate conversation and help to focus the parties on the issues. Mediation Services has  also successfully mediated families comprising of multi-generations.  

Our conflict resolution services help parties move forward.

VISIT OUR HOUSING PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LANDLORD/TENANT MEDIATIONS AND RESOURCES

CONFLICT COACHING

Have you been in a conflict and wished someone could help you work through it?  That's what  Conflict Coaching is all about.  Let our trained and skilled coach help you! Our goals are  to help you understand and analyze your conflict from all perspectives,  identify what you want from the relationship, where you want the conflict to go, and help you build your skills to deal with the conflict. 

This is not mediation, it is a 1-on-1, client centered service.  

We focus on your goals for our coaching sessions.  

We work with you to help you articulate your needs.

FACILITATION

Do you have a conflict in a workplace or other group setting?  We can help your group have a productive conversation with a facilitated discussion/meeting.

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES

Restorative practice seeks to build, strengthen and or rebuild relationships among members of the community.  Examples include: community conversations, community circles, restorative circles, and restorative conversations.  These can be used in schools and youth settings as well as in families and neighborhood settings. 

RE-ENTRY MEDIATION

This program is based on a program developed by Maryland's mediation program and brought to MA by MOPC with services provided by centers like ours throughout the state. This type of mediation focuses on people who have been incarcerated and are about to be released or have been recently released. Mediators work with those people and their families or other support people to help the person reintegrate into the fabric of the community in order to help them avoid recidivism and reduce tensions.

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