Glen's Mediation Blog | Mediation Blog Minnesota

Change of Seasons Influences

People get cranky this time of year. In Minnesota September weather gets frosty at night and it’s also often cloudy and rainy during the day. So it is that when this happens we fight. We fight in our marriages because we’re tired. We fight in our churches because we may want things to stay the…

Dealing with Troublemakers in Mediation

In mediation, there are always going to be folks who seem to want to disrupt the process. Perhaps they don’t really understand what mediation is, perhaps they don’t want to compromise or perhaps they simply want to mediate but are unable to due to conflicting emotions. Certainly one way to deal with these folks is…

Conflict Mediation Encouragement

There is a certain amount of dependence of the mediator in mediation. He or she is the pro, and his or her word is respected. If I say, “You’re very close,” or “You’re not going to get agreement today,” that can be accepted as truth. So it is very important to be positive yourself as…

Suitable Candidates for Mediation

When is a person not suited to mediation? Various Chemical dependency and mental health issues come to mind. If a person is so locked in their position that they will not consider any alternatives then mediation should not be encouraged. Unfortunately, people are ordered to mediation and at times they are following court orders without…

Togetherness in Mediation

Togetherness is an illusive quality in mediation yet it is precisely why people come to mediation in the first place. It is because they can’t work together that they come to mediation for help. Togetherness is not only useful but necessary: unless both parties (or all if more than two) truly agree, there is no…

Divorce Season

Mediation with families has its own season. Since few families want to move in the dead of winter, most parents put up with conflict until the weather gets nicer. Then they move out and file for divorce. Summer, then, is a time when families try to figure out schedules for school age children and continues…

The Psychology of Divorce

Most people getting divorced are pretty stressed out. Usually one person wants a divorce before the other. It is generally better for the person who decides to end the marriage because they have been likely thinking about it for months and have come to a point of decision and may even be past the point…

Cultures in Mediation

Americans often get blamed for being culturally insensitive. This seems a bit odd to me because America has more different ethnic groups than almost any other country in the world. But it can be true as well. Here’s why: culture can be more than just ethnic groups. There are cultures of states, regions, towns and…

Catharsis in Mediation

The other day I was mediating and one of the parties was stuck in a position, so stuck and so angry that after a bit she started to cry. Now, some mediators might pull that person aside and let her know that the mediation might end if she could not get herself under control. Other…

One Divorce Lawyer or Divorce Attorney in Mediation

Having a single attorney representing one party in mediation with the other party unrepresented by an attorney (called a “Pro Se” party) can be problematic because of the so-called power imbalance. This imbalance is brought about by the attorney’s knowledge of the law or greater ability to advocate or articulate the represented party’s position and…