Family Mediation resources

Frequently Asked Questions

We specialize in separation, divorce, post-divorce, and nontraditional family mediation, including finances, property, custody, parenting time, open adoption, adult sibling mediation, parent/teen mediation, and most other family related matters. We serve clients throughout Oregon.

Yes. Mediation is a powerful, confidential, and cost-effective way for people to reach resolution without destroying relationships and without the intervention of the court. It offers an opportunity for people to learn from the past in order to prevent problems in the future. Experience and studies have consistently shown that agreements reached through mediation last longer because parties are active participants in the decisions required to resolve the conflict.

Mediators are neutral facilitators who work to assist parties in their decision-making. Mediators help parties talk to one another in a productive way, through individual coaching, demonstrating and teaching active listening skills, and enforcing communication ground rules. They track issues to be discussed, and record agreements reached. Mediators look at the past in the context of forming solutions for the future.

When parents mediate there is less conflict, which is easier on kids. Most of our clients reach agreement on some or all of their issues. By focusing on underlying needs and interests, our clients avoid the painful, positional back and forth that can happen between attorneys. In mediation, clients open themselves to creative solutions not available through the court.

Some families that have experienced domestic violence are able to mediate. If you would like to use mediation and have concerns for safety, or your ability to negotiate with someone you have experienced violence with, please reach out so we can figure out whether mediation can be made safe for you. If we cannot create a safe place for you, mediation with us is not the right choice. You may ask a judge to waive the requirement for mediation by filing a request for mediation to be waived. A printable form is available online.

Hourly rate is $250. Clients can choose to divide that cost between them or pay with joint funds. Total costs generally range from $1,800 to $4,500 per family, depending on the complexity of issues.

Typically, sessions are two hours. Clients can meet as frequently or infrequently as they desire. The typical pattern is every two to three weeks.

The length of mediation depends on the family’s needs and the complexity of the case. Mediation takes as long as it needs to, but typically 3-8 months for families who are filing paperwork with the court.

Mediation offers the structure and support that many people need in order to get to resolution. Many couples are exhausted by repetitive, challenging conversations that lead to tangled patterns of defensiveness and dead ends. While certainly possible for a select few, it is excptionally difficult to mediate your own conflict. Mediators make space to create a new way of communicating; they help set an agenda, make sure both parties are heard and understood, and then request input and proposals from both sides. They help shift the focus to the future and teach clients the tools they will need in a new and healthy future.

Your family deserves the peaceful path.