Parent Adolescent Mediation
There are some really challenging situations that come up as your kids reach adolescence and teens, like dating, sex, drugs, alcohol, filthy bedrooms, homework and I am sure you can add some of your own. And then there are issues which make talking with your teenager even more difficult, like hormonal changes, mental health issues or separated parents.
Parent Adolescent Mediation is a supported conversation to help young people and their families to resolve conflict and to develop new styles of communication.
It allows both family members to express themselves openly and fully with the support of a neutral mediator. The mediator supports the conversation so you can gain a deeper understanding of the issues and each other.
Mediation is for those issues that you have tried to work through but can’t, and that would benefit from a neutral third party with conflict resolution skills helping you through.
Mediation is a formal yet open space where you are assisted in navigating conflicts through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques.
Mediation is an effective way to improve communication, skilfully navigate conflicts and improve relationships.
Conflicts that happen as a result of differences are completely normal in close relationships. Differences represent the diversity and individuality of family members and overall need to be respected rather than discouraged. Conflict is an important developmental function in all relationships and particularly parent child relationships.
Parent Adolescent Mediation
Parent-adolescent mediation programs are intended to support skilful communication, manage disputes, improve relationships and improve overall family functioning.
Mediation is focused on not only resolving or managing specific family disputes, but fostering greater parent-adolescent communication and providing effective communication tools for the family to take home and use in resolving future disputes themselves.
Typically delivered over a small number of sessions, a mediator sets up structured conversations about the current issues and help family members work towards a specific agreement for resolving or managing these issues that all parties feel is fair and realistic.
The changes initiated by the onset of adolescence impact, among other things, our young one’s conceptions and feelings about themselves and their relationships with others, including parents.
In terms of family life, research has verified that adolescence is a period in life characterized by a transformation and reorganization in family relationships (Steinberg, 1981; Youniss & Smollar, 1985).
The adolescent years are a particularly significant time of an escalation of conflict between young adolescents and their parents (Laursen, Coy, & Collins, 1998; Montemayor, 1986; Paikoff & Brooks-Gunn, 1991). The heightened conflict that surfaces in families of young adolescents presents unique challenges to both young people and their parents as they attempt to deal with the changing nature of their relationship.
It also presents unique learning opportunities for families as they address issues in a skilful way.
Skills for Life. When parents navigate conflicts in a healthy way they are modelling skills for life. Adolescents will have access to these skills in conflicts with others outside the family, then as adults, and if they themselves become parents.
How is Mediation different to Counselling or Therapy?
Next steps:
1. Book your 15 minute Get to Know You Session to see if Mediation will suit your situation.
2. Then both yourself and the other party will be invited to an intake session to prepare for the mediation.
3. We will work out a time that suits everyone. Mediation takes approx. 2-3 hours and is best done in the morning when everyone is well rested.
4. On the day it will be yourself and the other party and any support people you have both agreed upon and one or two mediators. We will have agreed prior to the day if we will be either online or in person. If conflict is high you may be in separate rooms for part of the mediation.
5. Everyone will get a chance to speak and listen. There will be time for one on one private session’s.
6. The number of sessions needed varies depending on your specific circumstances.