Family Mediation Matters

12/13/2024

The man doesn’t know that there is a snake underneath. The woman doesn’t know that there is a stone crushing the man. The woman thinks: “I am going to fall! And I can’t climb because the snake is going to bite me! Why can’t the man use a little more strength and pull me up!” The man thinks: “I am in so much pain! Yet I’m still pulling you as much as I can! Why don’t you try and climb a little harder!?”

The MORAL is — you can’t see the pressure the other person is under, and the other person can’t see the pain you’re in. This is life, whether it’s with work, family, feelings or friends, we should try to understand each other. Learn to think differently, perhaps more clearly and communicate better. A little thought and patience goes a long way 💙

Be KIND to people. Everyone we meet is fighting their own battle!

11/18/2024

by Jonathan Haidt

09/23/2016

Here's a great resource for divorcing couples.
http://www.splitopia.com/

Support for ending relationships in a healthy way and having a good divorce.

02/24/2015

Mister Rogers was brilliant. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQIP3Q

05/31/2013

It's not about the nail!
http://vimeo.com/66753575

"Don't try to fix it. I just need you to listen." Every man has heard these words. And they are the law of the land. No matter what.

12/07/2012

I have always loved this story of Israel and Egypt's negotiation for the Sinai. It perfectly illustrates the mediation process and the importance of revealing what it is you really need...and why!

http://www.nyparenting.com/stories/2012/11/fp_divorcecolumn_2012_11.html

In mediation, it’s important to understand both sides’ needs and interests to reach an amicable agreement.

12/06/2012

Dear Friends,

Many of you have referred clients to Family Mediation Matters
this past year. Thank you very much. We are grateful for your
confidence as we grow our practice.

Our clients tell us again and again that they feel heard and
understood throughout the mediation process. In the past
twelve months, we have mediated divorces, marital
communication problems, baby-naming difficulties, custody
and visitation arrangements, and adult-sibling issues.
We have also helped parents and teens work through issues
relating to schoolwork, curfews, privacy, and more.

Family Mediation Matters remains committed to working
with clients to resolve family-related disputes through
mediation and takes this opportunity to wish our friends
a happy and safe holiday.

Warm wishes,
Alison and Andrea

www.familymediationmatters.com
“We Turn Conflict into Cooperation”
646-535-4130

11/07/2012

Saw this in Rockaway- in case anyone is looking for a job at this time.

11/07/2012

Andrea Hirshman and Alison Gerson, of Family Mediation Matters, volunteered in the Rockaways on election day. Our conflict resolution services weren't needed, but our muscle and support were. Go to Facebook Group: Rockaways-Hurricane Sandy News

07/17/2012

An excellent article, and while it's not about mediation, these are the skills and tools we use in our sessions to help our clients achieve understanding and collaboration.

The notion that open and honest collaboration allows thinking to grow as a collective phenomenon can be traced back to Socrates and other thinkers in ancient Greece. Socrates and his friends so revered the concept of group dialogue that they bound themselves by principles of discussion that they est...

05/29/2012

From the Archives of This American Life, a broadcast on break-ups and divorce. Most poignant are acts 2 and 3.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/339/break-up

Writer Starlee Kine on what makes the perfect break-up song and whether really sad music can actually make you feel better. Plus, an eight-year-old author of a book about divorce, and other stories from the heart of heartbreak.