FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT IS MEDIATION?

Mediation is a voluntary and confidential process for collaborative conversations. Mediation lets people speak for themselves and you — not the mediator — control the decisions and the outcome.  Mediation is when people meet with mediations to resolve a conflict, make a decision together, or otherwise talk it out. With Community Mediation Upper Shore (CMUS), mediation is always free of charge.

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HOW DOES MEDIATION WORK?

​Two professionally trained mediators will meet you all together to clarify goals, gather information, and identify topics (things you can make plans about). It is up to you to decide what will meet your needs. What is discussed with the mediators is kept private and confidential. Mediation is voluntary. Either participant can end the mediation process at any time, and no one can be forced to agree to anything that they do not want. Sessions can be held daytime, nighttime and weekends. Each session is two (2) hours in length. Additional sessions can be scheduled.

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HOW DO OUR MEDIATORS WORK WITH YOU?

​The mediation is a five-step process, in which the mediators will:

• Listen as you explain what you'd like to discuss
• Ask questions to get a better understanding
• Name the topics being discussed
• Facilitate a brainstorm in which the participants come up with ideas
• Write up the plan/ agreements you've made (if you'd like)

The mediators will not take sides, blame, judge, or tell you what to do. The mediators will not force you to make a decision. The mediators will not make a decision for you. The intake office will work with you as you decide if mediation is right for you and find a time and location that works best for all the participants.

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WHAT CAN BE MEDIATED?

It is never too early and never too late for mediation. You can mediate to make a decision before it becomes a conflict or you can mediate with someone you haven't been on speaking terms with in years (or anything in between). Some examples of commonly mediated situations involve:

• Neighbor/Neighbor
• Parent/Teen
• Co-parents/parenting plans
• Spouses
• Siblings
• Roommates
• Landlord/Tenant
• Employer/Employee
• Co-workers
• Business/Customer
• Community Associations/Groups
• Friend/Friend​
• Other family

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HOW DO I SCHEDULE A MEDIATION?

Call the Center at 410-810-9188 and to figure out if you'd like to use mediation. Then, we can invite the other people involved to a mediation. 
You will need to provide contact information for others involved. The office will contact everyone being invited, explain the mediation ​process, and attempt to schedule a mediation at a time and place that works for everyone.

If you think someone else should know about mediation, you can ask the mediation center to give them a call. Let them know they don't need to agree to anything; the only ask is that they pick up the phone. Talking with trained staff is the best way to decide if mediation is right for you at this time.

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