Mediation is the use of an impartial person trained to help family members resolve conflicts by reaching mutually beneficial agreements. The mediator has no decision making authority and does not impose solutions upon the parties.
Mediators see the dispute through the eyes of both persons.
Help people listen to each other and discuss their issues without a contest of wills. Focus the discussion and keep it moving forward. Encourage people to understand each other's needs and to devise creative solutions that meet those needs. Guide people to develop mutually beneficial agreements to which they will be committed. Create options for resolution that neither person may have thought of on their own.