Conclusion
A mediator who uses a transformative approach and one who is
directive and evaluative; someone who works with parties with
lower income and diverse ethnic
populations and someone who
practices in a high-end area of
town with a clientele of rich
corporate executives; someone
who works with individuals in the
private sector and a staff person in
a governmental agency or large corporation; someone who resolves
day-to-day problems and someone who designs dispute resolution
systems or tackles large policy issues; someone who works as a
neutral and someone who represents, coaches, or is a resource to
one side of a conflict—any of them can be a peacemaker.
It is not the type of work you do, the population that you serve, or
your area of concentration that is more or less peace-worthy. It is
your commitment to improve yourself and those whom you touch,
as well as to use your work to make a broader difference in people’s
lives. These are the defining characteristics of a peacemaker.
While difficult to measure, the impact of moving beyond mediation
to peacemaking is significant, both to the participants and to you,
both professionally and personally. The parties benefit from a true
resolution to a dispute rather than a narrow settlement of dollars.
Of course, a settlement of any sort will clear a case from a court
docket and let parties move on with their lives. Sometimes that
is all the parties want or are capable of achieving. Yet when you
offer a peacemaking approach that includes a broader exploration
of possible future relationship repair, possible systemic reform, and
even elements of apology, the participants may go much farther,
with the possibility of greater satisfaction with the result of the
mediation and the process that made such result a reality. And
a byproduct of peacemaking is not
just increased mediation skills and
perspectives for mediators, but
increased personal satisfaction in
our important life's work.
Our quest and work for deeper
peace and a long term impact on
the participants can take place in the mediation room—when
mediators become peacemakers too.
About The Author
Forrest (Woody) Mosten has been in private mediation
practice since 1979 in Los Angeles. He is a Certified
Family Law Specialist who also represents clients in
interdisciplinary and unbundled models. Woody serves as
a keynote presenter to conflict resolution organizations
worldwide and offers training and supervision to
peacemakers on all levels. He has been Adjunct Professor
of Law at UCLA since 2002 and is the Chair of the
International Client Consultation Competition that bears
his name ( www.brownmosten.com). He is the author of
four books and numerous articles and has been honored
by the ABA with its prestigious Lawyer as Problem Solver Award and Lifetime
Award for Legal Access. Woody can be reached at www.MostenMediation.com
Peacemaking can be integrated into
your mediation work regardless of which
models of mediation that you practice.
