Services

ELDER/ADULT FAMILY MEDIATION:

When conflicts arise over decisions regarding transitional life changes of a loved one, or the estate of a relative, we guide family members through discussions to reach an acceptable agreement that is decided by the involved parties, not by the courts, and helps to preserve longstanding relationships. Decisions about a parent’s living situation, including choosing an appropriate facility can be fraught with tension. With adult children dispersed, and often far from family, siblings find themselves in contentious situations surrounding the care of aging parents. This is an all too prevalent occurrence. With the increase in longevity, we find seniors re-marrying at late ages and confronting the challenge of blending families consisting of older, adult children. These family permutations can lead to difficult conflicts that benefit from the intervention of a neutral third party.

Typical issues raised during mediation that involve the elderly include:

• Safety

• Living arrangements

• Caregiving

• Finances

• Legal responsibilities

• Roles of siblings

COMMUNICATION COACHING:

TA mediators work with couples and individuals to improve communication and reduce argumentative behavior. This is not therapy; it is completely focused on communication, how people speak with one another. We have years of experience with parent/teen mediation, another speciality of our firm.

People, particularly couples who have been together for a while, get into conversational patterns that result in arguments and long-standing conflict. Sometimes, people get into cyclical patterns of conversation that escalate without the knowledge of how to end it. We work with people to establish healthy conversation styles, effective listening skills and the ability to create empathetic dialogues that factor in the other person’s emotions and needs. 

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS:

When families are faced with a crisis, mediation is a good way to begin a family discussion to improve family relations. The ‘sandwich generation’ finds themselves struggling to balance parents and children, which can create friction and misunderstandings. The relationship between teen or adult siblings can be disruptive to a household and family, making it difficult to celebrate occasions together. Talking Alternatives tries to help families communicate and understand the needs and roles of family members and of the generations. There are many instances where families are torn apart by substance abuse (by parents or children), illness or disability. Couples who have divorced sometimes need help to begin a conversation again to re-focus on the needs of their family. Our mediators help families have these necessary, but difficult, conversations.

COACHING: 

Talking Alternatives provides conflict coaching on a confidential one-on-one basis. Conflict coaching uses individualized instruction to develop alternative dispute resolution skills. This service is helpful to those who are considering mediation to resolve a dispute or for those already involved in mediation who want to acquire further insight into how to work toward a non-confrontational resolution. Conflict coaching is a results-oriented process that is goal driven.