Success Story
A grown daughter lived in the home of her ailing mother, taking care of her for many years. As the mother's health declined, conflicts with her daughter escalated. The other siblings had a plan for their mother and estranged sister but communication was so flawed that there was no hope short of legal action to evict the caregiver. In mediation, each side came to see the other's difficulties and communication resumed. The family agreed on a plan that enabled the mother and daughter to resolve their issues and live together with mutual respect and understanding.
Contact

Personal and Organization Mediation:
Adele Cox
Community Mediation Coordinator
925.687.8844 ext. 301

Guardianship Mediation:
Barbara Proctor
Program Director
925.687.8844 ext. 250

Volunteer Opportunities
Make a difference and enhance your professional skills with best-practice training for:
  • Mediators
  • Case developers
  • Trainers
  • Project managers
  • Office Interns
  • Bi-lingual volunteers
I Am Cooperation
Conflict Resolution Programs
Solving Disputes Together

When communication breaks down between disputing individuals or groups, the situation can escalate, often leading to expensive legal action or even violence. Our trained mediators diffuse anger and help both parties reach a win-win resolution at a fraction of the cost of legal services.

What Kind of Cases Do We Manage?

CHD's Conflict Resolution Programs have provided mediation services and conflict management training to Contra Costa County residents and business groups for more than two decades.

Our team of approximately 100 volunteer mediators are trained and certified to resolve:

Personal Disputes

  • Neighbor conflicts over noise, fences, pets, etc.
  • Family disputes involving parents, teenagers, elders.
  • Co-worker grievances.
  • Landlord/tenant/roommate issues.
  • Customer/merchant conflicts.

Organization Disputes

  • Business/workplace disagreements involving employees, management, contractors, etc.
  • Organization conflicts between groups such as school boards and parent associations.
  • Real estate issues between buyers, sellers, contractors and realtors.
  • Homeowners' association/member disputes.

Guardianship Disputes

  • Guardian/parent mediations concerning child custody, visitation schedules and other child care issues.
  • Under law, we can only accept cases referred by the Probate Court.

Elder Mediation Services

Our elder mediation services and facilitation training were developed several years ago in response to the growing number of senior citizens in our County. The response has been overwhelming. We are currently working at the Senior Court's civil harassment hearings and with the Senior Self Help Legal Clinic referral services. Please contact Barbara Proctor, J.D., barbara@chd-prevention.org, to sign up for our Elder Mediation Training for experienced mediators.

Who Can Use Our Mediation Services?

Anyone who lives or works in Contra Costa County is eligible.

What is the cost?

For individuals, fees are determined by a sliding scale based on household income. Fees are extremely low. No one is ever turned away due to inability to pay.

Businesses and organizations pay a flat fee that is less than half the cost of using a private mediator with the same expertise.

Services are funded primarily through court fees under the Dispute Resolution Programs Act.

 
Center for Human Development, 391 Taylor Blvd., Suite 120, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, 925.687.8844