Family mediation

Conflicts, both large and small, are bound to occur in every family. Something small can easily snowball into a real argument and, at times, even lead to people severing all contact.

Conflicts within a family can arise when dividing an inheritance or because of old pain between family members. Or because a divorce has sown the seeds of division. For parents especially it can be hard when their (adult) children quarrel. After all, parents – regardless of their age – are unwilling to choose one child over the others, as a result of which birthdays or other family gatherings can present awkward dilemmas.

Another issue that often produces conflict is how to share and divide the burden of caring for a loved one. At times, a parent may have a dying wish to pass away knowing that there is at least a modicum of respectful contact between their offspring.

In family businesses many issues can crop up that cause a lot of turmoil and conflict. Succeeding someone’s position in the family business, selling off the company, or even just the day-to-day running of it can all be contentious issues. This applies to commercial companies but equally to agricultural family businesses. The goal of family mediation is to discuss the situation and resolve the conflict. After all, disagreements and the stress that ensues are unpleasant for everyone involved.

Conflicts within families are generally complicated. There are several parties involved and there is a shared history where small seeds of contention have been sown, which are then at the root of the present conflict. As a rule, we have family mediations take place at a neutral location that is easily accessible for everyone. This provides a level playing field from which to start. In family mediations, we always work with two mediators.

We often have family mediations take place in a neutral location that is easily accessible to everyone. Then there is an equal start for everyone. In a family mediation we always work with two mediators.