NSCM has 47 experienced volunteer mediators who mediate between 200 and 250 cases each year. The mediators, who live in various communities on the North Shore, come from a variety of backgrounds including, legal, social service, education, business, and mental health.

 

Disputes mediated by NSCM mediators come from:

Community
NSCM helps to resolve disputes among couples, family members, neighbors, and shared housing arrangements. Our mediators have also assisted in business disputes, including workplace conflicts, landlord tenant and property co-owner issues. NSCM offers a sliding fee scale to families and others seeking community mediation in order to encourage access to this effective and cost-efficient approach to resolving disagreements. Referrals for mediation can come from the people in conflict, social service agencies, housing authorities, police, counselors, and a variety of others who may be aware of a dispute.

Divorce
Experienced NSCM mediators, specially trained in divorce mediation, work with families of all types. This includes resolving the division of assets and debt, developing parenting plans, spousal support and child support for couples contemplating divorce and for separating nonmarital couples. Mediation is especially helpful when children are involved because the process focuses on parental communication.

Court
NSCM has been approved by the Massachusetts Trial Court to provide mediation services for: small claims and minor criminal cases to the Salem, Peabody, and Gloucester District Courts; conflicts between family members including parents and teens (CHINS petitions) to the Essex County Juvenile Court; and divorce mediation to the Essex County Probate and Family Court. Mediations for cases referred by the court are often held at the court. An agreement reached in a court-referred case is signed by a Clerk, or Assistant Clerk, Magistrate and entered as an order of the court, becoming a legally binding enforceable agreement. There is no fee for court-referred mediation.

School
NSCM trains students in local middle and high schools to mediate conflicts among their peers. These students learn real world skills such as active listening, communicating feelings, building trust, and brainstorming. They become effective mediators because they understand their peers and make problem solving more natural. NSCM has created the North Shore Peer Mediation Collaborative which serves to support the individual school programs by keeping close contact with the school coordinators and sponsoring a yearly Peer Mediator’s Forum which brings students from different schools together to share training and experiences. To contact the Peer Mediation Collaborative at NSCM please call, (978) 232-0002.