Changing Standards

Mediate.com has been around for over 25 years, and over that time we have published thousands of articles on every aspect of mediation practice.  We have also watched the mediation field grow in numerous unforeseen directions, which has led to an evolution in standards of practice.  Approaches and terms that used to be common in the field have been edited, replaced, or even repudiated appropriately over time as our field, and wider society, has evolved.

For example, one area that we are currently re-examining is disability rights in mediation. Some of the suggestions shared in articles posted years ago on Mediate.com are no longer in line with best practices or modern standards.   

There are many other aspects of mediation that have changed over the years. These changes are healthy, appropriate, and inevitable for a new and growing field like mediation.  Some of these changes were sudden and unexpected (who could have imagined 5 years ago that we all would become online mediators?!) while other changes have simply been a reexamination of accepted practices to determine if there was a better approach (JD/MSW/MBA preferred? certification? flat fee vs. hourly rate?). 

This is where we invite your feedback. If you notice an older article that should be updated, we invite you to let us know — and even to draft an update. It’s not that we’re trying to erase the past (we know all of our authors wrote their pieces with nothing but the best of intentions) but we do want to ensure that Mediate.com remains the definitive repository for the latest and greatest information on best practices in mediation, and that means keeping our minds open to change.  Our field is continuously growing and improving, and the best way for us to maintain that growth is for us to work together to identify and make changes where necessary.

                       

Clare Fowler

Clare Fowler is Executive Vice-President and Managing Editor at Mediate.com, as well as a mediator and trainer. Clare received her Master's of Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law and her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, focused on reducing workplace conflicts, from Pepperdine… MORE >