Wandsworth Mediation Service offers mediation support to members of the same faith community who are in conflict with each other. Whether you are a member of a temple, mosque, synagogue, or church, our experienced mediators can help you “disagree well” with each other.
Mediation is a structured process in which a neutral third party (the mediator) builds dialogue between people to help resolve their disagreement. The mediator does not pick sides or give advice – it’s the participants who determine their own solutions. The process is focused on problem-solving, preserving relations and reducing hostility.
The concept of mediation is deeply rooted in many religions. Since the early days of Islam, Muslims have used mediation (or ‘wasata’ in Arabic) to resolve their disputes, and its principles are laid out in the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
For Christians, the Bible provides a wealth of wisdom on peace-making, with Jesus being described as a mediator between God and men [1 Timothy 2:5]. Mediation also has a long-standing in Judaism, with mediators bringing parties to ‘p’shara’ – a compromise.
1. Empowering – encouraging participants to work together to identify, agree and implement solutions that feel fair to everyone.
2. Confidential – a safe space to have an open and honest discussion, knowing that no information will be passed on to anyone unless all participants agree.
3. Spiritually healing – removing division and rebuilding unity.
4. Voluntary – there is no obligation to participate, or agree on anything that you are not happy with;
5. Inclusive – our experienced mediators work with people from all faiths, respecting individual values, traditions and practices.
6. Future-focussed – helping people reconcile their differences and improve future communication.
If your situation is appropriate for mediation and both parties agree to mediate, then the first meeting will be arranged. At the meeting each person involved in the conflict will meet the two mediators separately. The mediators will explain the process and listen to your view of the issues in dispute. After this, you’ll have a joint meeting where you, the other party and the mediators will sit together to discuss your differences.
At the beginning of the joint meeting ground rules will be agreed, ensuring that you can speak freely and be listened to respectfully. The mediators will then help you identify the issues that need to be sorted out and work out the solutions. If you feel like you are unable to be in the same room with the other person(s) then we can arrange for you to be sat in different rooms or have the meeting online, via a videoconference call. At the end of the meeting, the mediators will write a summary of the session which will outline what has been discussed and any agreements made. This session summary is not legally binding and does not affect legal rights, but is made in good faith between both individuals with the hope that things will change going forward.
We will contact both parties after several weeks to find out how things are since the joint meeting. We may suggest meeting again if both parties feel this could help.
Where we can, we offer this service for free. Charges depend on the complexity of the case, and the hours of mediation needed. Please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation.
We have a team of mediators who have been specifically trained and are supervised by WMS. They all offer their time and skills to Wandsworth Mediation Service without charging us. The majority of our Neighbour mediators are Wandsworth residents and are looking to invest in their local community.
We always have two mediators on each case who have the right skill set and experience for the parties.
We have seen a huge increase in demand for our service since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mediators are fully trained to conduct mediation and conflict coaching sessions online.
Online mediation means you can resolve disputes quicker, and from the comfort of your home. All you need is a computer or mobile phone, a webcam and a quiet location. Our dedicated case managers will provide detailed instructions and guide you through the set-up.
If you are in a situation where the other party does not want to mediate, then conflict coaching with two of our trained coaches could be helpful to allow you to reflect on the issues and how you might be approach things differently to reduce stress and anxiety– click here for more details.
Wandsworth Mediation Service is a registered charity 1102464 and company 4778659 limited by guarantee in England and Wales.
