ABSTRACT
In family mediation these typically include: gathering individual pre-mediation intake information and screening for unsuitability; an introductory joint meeting; an opportunity for each party to see the mediator on their own; the summing up by the mediator of the issues as propounded by the parties. The way mediation is structured at the south East London Family Mediation bureau is based on the Coogler Model of structured Mediation. The strategies of family mediators are bound to reflect their assumptions about: the nature and goals of the process in which they are engaged; the qualities of the 'ideal' mediator; the nature and function of conflict in family breakdown – whether conflict is regarded as a pathological phenomenon or as a normal, even constructive, response to the need to re-order relationships. Mediation can provide the opportunity to open up channels of communication and to improve both the quantity and quality of the information exchanged.
