Resolving conflicts outside of a courtroom may seem like an impossible task, so much so that it is often better to get a third-party mediator involved to assist individuals and families with negotiating successful solutions.
The Community Resolution Center (CRC) has been doing just that for nearly three decades, having received notice of its first grant award on November 21, 1994. Community Dispute Resolution Programs are grant-funded by the State Court Administrative Office of Dispute Resolution. Michigan citizens in every county have access to low or no-cost mediation.
From 1994 to 2003, the CRC served citizens in Genesee County, after which the service area was expanded to include Saginaw, Arenac, Bay, Midland, Clare, Gladwin, Ogemaw and Roscommon counties. The CRC has two physical offices – one in Flint on Court St. (a tenant of the Genesee County Bar Association) and one in Saginaw, located in the Saginaw County Courthouse.
“Mediation empowers people to work through conflict and design their own agreement, which helps alleviate the overburdened courts by settling cases prior to trial.”
Dayna Harper, Executive Director, CRC
“All of our mediators are volunteers, currently a roster of 56,” stated CRC Executive Director Dayna Harper, Ed.D, MSA, BS. “We have a seven-member board of directors who represent four of our nine counties. The experience of this dedicated group ranges from lawyers, department heads at Saginaw Valley State University and University of Michigan – Flint and a court reporter.”
“Mediation can be court-ordered or self-referred and can take place before, during or after a court case,” explained Harper. “Our process can help parties resolve conflicts ranging from general civil cases such as small claims, landlord/tenant, business to business, employment disputes and probate. We also work with domestic relations matters, including all aspects of divorce and parenting time.
“The Michigan Supreme Court saw the need to provide citizens with resources for Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR),” Harper added. “Mediation empowers people to work through conflict and design their own agreement, which helps alleviate the overburdened courts by settling cases prior to trial.”
Specialty programs include: Special Education – available at no cost to parents and schools for any child receiving special education services; Behavioral Health – free mediation services for anyone receiving Behavioral Health Services; Access and Visitation – any parents who need to establish or modify parenting time; MI Resolve – an online filing service for general civil or domestic relations cases; and Restorative Justice – a program for juvenile offenders.
“Our cases are conducted online and in-person in all nine of the counties we serve,” Harper said. “We try our best to accommodate the parties’ schedules.”
A free or low-cost option, a regular mediation fee is $100 per side and is lowered or waived for anyone who cannot afford it. The fee is never an obstacle for people to receive mediation services through the CRC.
“The cost of mediation is minimal compared to the expense of filing a court case and going to trial, not to mention the time it takes to wait through the court process – mediation can typically be scheduled within two weeks,” Harper said. “Many of the specialty programs have additional grant funding, so there is never a cost for services.”
Volunteer mediators are well-trained. There are four components to becoming a qualified mediator, which includes 48 hours of general civil training and 48 hours of training in domestic relations. They must also observe two cases conducted by a qualified mediator, and conduct one mediation to conclusion under the supervision of a qualified mediator. Education requirements for mediating general civil cases include a Juris Doctor degree or graduate degree in conflict resolution. For domestic relations, a Juris Doctor or a graduate degree in counseling, social work or family therapy is required.
“For anyone who does not have the education component, there are experience requirements that can be met for qualification,” Harper added. “All qualified mediators are required to obtain at least eight hours of continuing education every two years.”
There are many examples of successful mediations.
“One mediator was stopped in Home Depot by a gentleman who told the mediator they had mediated their parenting time case several years prior and that it had improved the dynamics of their family,” Harper shared. “Another mediator conducted a probate case in which step-children had denied a wife contact with her elderly husband. The woman called the Center the next day and said she felt that since her court case began, the mediator was the only person who had listened to her. There are many more stories of people who work through conflict with our services and come out on the other side with relief and hope for the future.”
To commemorate its 30-year anniversary, a CRC volunteer appreciation reception is in the planning stages for July.
