NSCMC Mediation Services

NSCMC has 65 experienced volunteer mediators who mediate between 300 and 350 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. For questions about Mediation Services or to refer a case, please call 978-232-1212 or email us at: info@nsmediation.org

Community | Elder Mediation | Veterans Mediation and Parent Mediation Program
Family Mediation | Divorce
Parent/Child Mediation | Workplace/Consumer | Court | School

Disputes mediated by NSCMC mediators come from:

Community

NSCMC 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. NSCMC 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.

Elder Mediation

NSCMC 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. NSCMC 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.

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Veterans Mediation

General mediation services are offered to all veterans, as part of our mission to provide mediation services to the individuals, families and communities on the North Shore. We have mediators who are specially trained to understand the unique conflicts that arise from the military experience, as well as mediators who themselves are veterans. 

Parent Mediation Program - Family Mediation

Children whose parents do not live together generally fare best when they have ongoing involvement from both parents.  Establishing a workable parenting time schedule is an area where parents often experience conflict.  Children adjust more easily to change (in routines) if their parents work together to develop healthy ways of communicating, resolving problems, and reducing conflict. This program has been created to help parents resolve disputes on these issues.   Be sure to ask if you qualify for free mediation services through a special grant in cooperation with Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC)and the Massachusetts DOR.

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Divorce

Experienced NSCMC 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 non-marital couples. Mediation is especially helpful when children are involved because the process focuses on parental communication. Click here for more info...

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Parent/Child Mediation

Parent/Child Mediation is a form of conflict transformation that works with youths between the ages of 11 and 18, who have run away from home, failed to attend school regularly or consistently defied or disobeyed their parents (caretakers). It provides an opportunity for youths and their parents to openly communicate about home and school related conflicts while restoring their capacity to make decisions and considering each others’ perspectives. We have found that families respond positively to the voluntary, confidential and impartial nature of the mediation process. Parent/Child Mediation cases are sometimes referred by the Juvenile Court Probation Department after a Child in Need of Services (CHINS) petition has been filed. Families may call the NSCMC office directly prior to court involvement to seek mediation services.

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Court

NSCMC has been approved by the Massachusetts Trial Court to provide mediation services for: small claims and minor criminal cases in the Salem, Peabody, and Gloucester District Courts; conflicts between family members including parents and teens (CHINS petitions), delinquency and permanency mediation in the Essex County Juvenile Court; and divorce and family mediation in 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 can be entered as an order of the court, becoming a legally binding enforceable agreement. There is no fee for court-referred mediation. Click here for links to courts served by NSCMC.

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School

NSCMC 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 which makes problem solving more natural. NSCMC 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. Click here for more information on the Conflict Resolution Education Collaborative.

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Workplace/Consumer Mediation

Face to Face – Consumer Mediation

NSCMC is a Face to Face Mediation Program working in cooperation with the Office of the Attorney General (AGO) of Massachusetts, offering consumer affairs mediation services to the courts and communities of the North Shore. Some examples of consumer affairs could include situations such as: seller/buyer (purchase of goods or services), owner/contractor (home repair, landscaping), landlord/tenant, or repair services/customer. The AGO has charged NSCMC with making these services available and to increase awareness of them on the North Shore. For consumer affairs mediations NSCMC can be directly contacted or the AGO can put interested parties in touch with our program. NSCMC and the AGO are committed to offering affordable, easy, and timely access to mediation services for consumer disputes.  Please see the following link for further information on Face to Face Mediation Programs click here.

Workplace Mediation

NSCMC mediators have experience mediating cases involving contracts and workplace relationships such as: employer/employee, employee/employee and property co-owners. Using the mediation process allows parties to play an active role in the decision-making process, address underlying issues, and maintain a relationship with the other party. NSCMC trainers are also available to provide conflict resolution workshops to address the prevention of workplace conflicts.

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