Family Mediation is a method to solve family disputes, in cases of family low – conflicts; it is a path, the duration of which can vary from a minimum of 3 meetings to a maximum of 15, which helps the couple, in sight or following separation or divorce, in the difficult transition from a married or de facto couple, to a ‘parental couple’ and therefore to reorganize their family relationships and consensually identify the best solutions for the well-being of the children and parents themselves. It aims to activate a conscious process to re-establish dialogue between the parties in order to achieve a concrete goal: a reorganization of relationships that is most satisfactory for everyone.

The Family Mediator helps the parties to find the basis of a voluntary, sustainable and mutually acceptable agreement, because it responds to the needs and interests of all the persons involved in the deal; he/she facilitates the communication and the participation of the parties to seek and find a mutual listening channel, being vigilant that the parties are always actively engaged in this process.

Impartiality, empathic listening, lack of pre-established directives do not mean inaction: in fact, the Family Mediator not only informs and observes, but prepares the parties for comparison, helping them to find in themselves positive and useful elements to solve the conflict, and empower their communication skills with the aim to make the parties autonomous and able to successfully handle potential future conflicts/contrasts.

During the confrontation between the parties, the Family Mediator faces the initial crisis created by the conflict, working with the couple negative feelings and introducing step by step new elements of reflection to facilitate, if necessary, a shift in the approach of each part towards the other, increasing the flexibility of their positions, and thus assisting the parties in building fair and sustainable agreements.

Family Mediation is neither psychotherapy nor a couple therapy, although these interventions can both go on a parallel line and path with the Family Mediation process. The peculiarity of the Family Mediation is in fact its ability to focus on pragmatic aspects and to reach common decisions on specific issues. The Family Mediator, as a third neutral person, facilitates common decisions regarding concrete organizational issues, which lead to the identification of a separation agreement, such as children custody, regulation and sharing time with the children by each parent, organization care and education tasks, establishing the opportunity to follow sharing steps in order to introduce the relationship with the new partners to the children, establishing the methods of contributing to the expenses of the children, regulating the property division of family goods.

The meetings take place in the absolute guarantee of professional secrecy and the discussions on the emotional and relational aspects, also related to the relationship with the children, are not separate from the discussion over the economic aspects of a desired deal.

A Family Mediation path is also suitable for couples without children who choose the path of consent to identify economic separation agreements. It is also suitable for those who, as members of a family, feel the need to find a neutral, effective and professional space in which to compare oneself with the other family members, in order to clarify on specific issues, own position, own ideas, or to find their own role worn down by time. In such cases, in fact, the Family Mediation offers an adequate meeting space wherever there is an interpersonal relationship that needs to evolve (i.e. among parents and sons/daughters, among brothers and sisters) to facilitate listening and resolving any conflicts, reactivate the communication and reorganize the relationship with new shared methods.