Community Mediation Center — -COPY

Work through conflict with a neutral third party to reach your own agreement.

• Mediators help participants have productive conversations and clarify what matters most to everyone involved
• Supports two or more people in resolving a dispute or conflict
• Focuses on collaborative decision-making that meets everyone’s needs
• Confidential, voluntary, and nonjudgmental
• Helps participants reach their own agreements—mediators do not make decisions

Learn more about mediation:

• Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO)
• Community Mediation Maryland

One-on-one support to help you prepare for or navigate a difficult conversation.

• Work individually with a trained coach to address a specific conflict or build conflict management skills
• Sessions available in person, online, or by phone
• Typically 45–60 minutes, scheduled at convenient times
• You can participate in as many sessions as needed to meet your goals
• Confidential and voluntary
• Helpful for preparing for mediation or difficult conversations
• Can be used when mediation isn’t possible—or as a stand-alone service

Structured support for productive group conversations and decision-making.

• Designed for groups of 10 or more participants

• Facilitators work with organizers to plan and design an effective process

• Promotes dialogue, clarity, and efficiency to help groups reach their goals

• Neutral third-party facilitators guide the discussion and remain impartial

• Helps keep meetings focused, on track, and productive

• Includes note-taking and tracking of action items

Customized learning opportunities to build conflict resolution skills.

• Available for community groups, churches, schools, and government agencies

• Trainings and presentations are tailored to the needs of each group or organization

• Focus on practical communication and conflict management skills

• Designed for organizations, teams, and businesses

Support for productive and collaborative Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.

• Facilitators work with parents and school staff to support effective communication

• Assist in developing an agenda in advance with parents and the IEP Chair

• Ensure all participants have a chance to speak and be heard

• Keep discussions focused and respectful

• Help the team work through disagreements and reach solutions

Learn More About IEP Meeting Facilitation.

The Carroll County Community Mediation Center (CCCMC) was founded in 2000 as a parent-teen mediation program with support from DJS, the Family Law Administrator, MACRO, CMM, and the Carroll County Youth Services Bureau (CCYSB). It provided families a collaborative way to address issues like school performance, curfew, and communication, using a unique co-mediation model with both adult and teen mediators.

Over time, the Center expanded to include a wider range of family and community conflicts, including neighbor, landlord-tenant, workplace, and business disputes.

Originally part of CCYSB, the CCCMC transitioned to Carroll Community College in 2008, where it continues to operate today.

Since then, the Center has helped thousands of Carroll County residents, businesses, and organizations resolve conflicts constructively. It also continues to provide mediation services, education, and training to support a stronger community.

Carroll County Community Mediation Center’s vision is for every Carroll County citizen to have awareness of and access to high quality conflict resolution services at the community level, such as mediation and conflict coaching.

The Mediation Center promotes peaceful resolution of conflict and collaborative problem solving by providing a range of conflict resolution services, education and professional training to the Carroll County community.

The 10-point model of community mediation strives to:

1. Train community members who reflect the community’s diversity with regard to age, race, gender, ethnicity, income and education to serve as volunteer mediators.
2. Provide mediation services at no cost or on a sliding scale.
3. Hold mediations in neighborhoods where disputes occur.
4. Schedule mediations at a time and place convenient to the participants.
5. Encourage early use of mediation to prevent violence or to reduce the need for court intervention, as well as provide mediation at any stage in a dispute.
6. Mediate community-based disputes that come from referral sources including self-referrals, police, courts, community organizations, civic groups, religious institutions, government agencies and others.
7. Educate community members about conflict resolution and mediation.
8. Maintain high quality mediators by providing intensive, skills-based training, apprenticeships, continuing education and ongoing evaluation of volunteer mediators.
9. Work with the community in governing community mediation programs in a manner based on collaborative problem solving among staff, volunteers and community members.
10. Provide mediation, education and other conflict resolution processes to community members who reflect the community’s diversity with regard to age, race, gender, ethnicity, income, education and geographic location.

• Patricia Ryan, Director pryan@carrollcc.edu
• Mary Johnson, Mediation and Outreach Specialist mjohnson3@carrollcc.edu

• Dr. Kristie Crumley, Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Carroll Community College
• Richard Gibson, Deputy Chief of Westminster Police
• Madeleine Ryan, Director of Operations, Carroll County Youth Services Bureau
• Patty Sundberg, Volunteer Mediator, Branch Manager, Carroll County Library
• Gina Valentine, Bureau Chief, Bureau of Aging and Disabilities
• Powell Welliver, Family Law Administrator of Carroll County
• Laurie Blake, Director of Human Resources for Fuchs of North America
• David Dellman, Community Member
• Ashley Joslyn, Opportunity Works Program Manager, HS

Is community mediation free in Carroll County?

Yes, mediation services are offered at no cost to participants.

Is community mediation part of the court system in Carroll County?

Carroll County Community Mediation Center is not part of the court system. We are a completely separate non-profit entity. However, we often receive referrals for mediation for people who are involved with a court case or are under a court order to mediate.

What is the difference between mediation and counseling?

Mediation is not like counseling. Mediators are not therapists and do not provide an analysis or opinion of the situation or give suggestions about what people should try or do. Mediators are committed to participant self-determination, which includes giving participants the space to talk about whatever they want to discuss and make plans or agreements that are important to them.

Do mediators make decisions or give advice during mediation?

The mediators do not make any decisions, nor give opinions or advice; all decisions or solutions come from the participants. The mediator’s job is to be nonjudgmental, listen, ask questions for clarification and facilitate the process to meet the needs and goals of the participants.

How do I request mediation services?

Participants can contact the CCCMC directly to request services. Staff will speak to them about their situation and, if mediation is appropriate, contact the other people involved in the conflict to discuss the option of mediation.

How can I refer someone to community mediation services?

Agencies, organizations and individuals may refer potential participants to mediation by contacting the CCCMC. Names and contact information for each person being referred must be provided.

Are mediation agreements binding?

Agreements made in mediation may be binding contracts. The mediation process provides an opportunity for participants to explore all possible options and choose the one(s) that work for everyone involved. Mediation is a completely voluntary process; all agreements reached come from the participants involved and no one is forced to agree to anything. Participants always have the opportunity to consider their agreement and review it with anyone they feel comfortable getting advice or input from before signing.

How do I know if a conflict is appropriate for mediation?

If you are unsure a situation is appropriate for mediation, give us a call or email us and a staff member can discuss the case with you to determine if it is suitable for mediation. A pre-mediation conversation is conducted with each potential mediation participant to determine if mediation is appropriate, explain the process, answer questions and schedule the mediation if everyone agrees to move forward.

What information do referring agencies receive about mediation cases?

Referring agencies may receive status reports on mediations, which include scheduled mediation appointments, whether or not the mediation occurred and whether or not an agreement is reached.

Who are the mediators at the Carroll County Community Mediation Center?

The Mediation Center provides professionally trained mediators and coaches who volunteer their time and represent the diversity of Carroll County with regard to age, race, gender, ethnicity, income, experiences and education. All mediators and coaches have completed at least 50 hours of mediation training, an apprenticeship and continuing education.