Six things about mediation

1. The cost of mediation varies.

Wendy Moore, executive director of Mediation and Conflict Solutions, said mediation fees are based on a sliding scale, with those earning less than $25,000 a year asked to pay $25 per session and people earning more than $75,000 asked to pay $100.

Payment is voluntary, and youths and students are not charged, so the average fee last year was $17 for a two-hour session.

“We don’t change services for the inability to pay,” Moore said.

2. Alternative Learning Center students have used mediation services for about six years.

Gordy Ziebert, the ALC principal, said the school uses the service in multiple ways, including helping settle conflicts between students, between students and staff and between students and their parents.

“I can’t speak positively enough about that mediation,” he said, noting volunteer mediators have also led circles to help multiple students and taught classes on conflict resolution.

He said the partnership has helped students resolve conflicts that could have gotten in the way of their education.

3. Mediation is part of a pilot program in Rochester middle schools.

Mediation and Conflict Solutions is in its first year of a pilot program in serving middle school students in Rochester Public Schools, according to Allan Witz, president of the MCS board.

“It’s a learning experience for us and the schools,” he said.

Mediators that work with students in Rochester schools face added training, which includes classes through the school district.

4. Mediation doesn’t have to be face to face.

While most sessions involve getting both parties in the same room, Moore said that’s sometimes impossible.

Some conflict may be so great that people can’t stand to be in the same room, but geography can also get in the way.

When extreme tension divides people, shuttle mediation allows mediators to travel between nearby rooms to facilitate a dialogue.

When geography is the barrier, mediators can use technology to help people talk about a conflict.

5. Parenting time is one of the most common issues for mediation.

Local mediators said helping separated and divorced parents negotiate time with their children is common.

“That’s probably among the top stuff we do,” Witz said, noting opening lines of communication with parents benefits the children the most.

6. Each session is unique.

“Different people respond differently to mediation,” Witz said, noting the process belongs to the participant, not the mediator.

Uma Bole, a mediation volunteer and retired corporate attorney, said the mediator’s key role is to establish some rules and structure, but the rest is up to the participants.

“It’s clear that it’s their process,” she said.