Services

ELDER/ADULT FAMILY MEDIATION

When conflicts arise over decisions regarding transitional life changes of a loved one, or the estate of a relative, we guide family members through discussions to reach an acceptable agreement that is decided by the involved parties, not by the courts, and helps to preserve longstanding relationships. Decisions about a parent’s living situation, including choosing an appropriate facility can be fraught with tension. With adult children dispersed, and often far from family, siblings find themselves in contentious situations surrounding the care of aging parents. This is an all too prevalent occurrence. With the increase in longevity, we find seniors re-marrying at late ages and confronting the challenge of blending families consisting of older, adult children. These family permutations can lead to difficult conflicts that benefit from the intervention of a neutral third party.

Typical issues raised during mediation that involve the elderly include:

• Safety

• Living arrangements

• Caregiving

• Finances

• Legal responsibilities

• Roles of siblings

ESTRANGEMENT MEDIATION: FINDING YOUR WAY BACK TO EACH OTHER

The distance between a parent and an adult child can be one of the most painful experiences a family endures. What may have begun as a misunderstanding, a moment of hurt, or a long-standing conflict can grow into silence that feels impossible to break — and yet, the desire to reconnect often never goes away.

At Talking Alternatives, we understand how much courage it takes to even consider reaching out. We also understand that wanting to reconcile doesn't mean knowing how to begin.

You don't have to figure it out alone.

Estrangement between parents and their adult children and between adult siblings is more common than many people realize, and it rarely reflects a single cause or a failure of love. It tends to grow from accumulated experiences , feeling unseen, unheard or repeatedly hurt in ways that were never acknowledged. Estrangement also reflects a breakdown in communication — hurt feelings that were never fully heard, needs that were never fully understood, and conversations that never had the right space to happen.

That's exactly what we help create.
----------------------
How We Help

Our mediators provide a safe, neutral, and non-judgmental environment where parents, adult children and siblings can come together to have the honest conversations that have felt impossible on their own. We don't take sides. We don't decide who is right or wrong. We guide the dialogue so that every voice is heard, every perspective is acknowledged, and every person in the room has the opportunity to be understood.

Through mediation, families are able to:
Have honest, open conversations in a supported setting, express long-held feelings without fear of escalation, listen to one another in ways that may not have been possible before, work toward reunion — and build a foundation to preserve that relationship going forward. Our goal is not just to help you reconnect. It is to help you stay connected. Navigating estrangement through mediation may be difficult. Parents may hear things that are painful, but the honest conversations will be a valuable investment to reach a positive outcome. For adult children, mediation will provide an opportunity to improve and restore family relationships.
--------------------------------
Why Mediation — and Why Talking Alternatives

Estrangement is not a legal problem or a clinical diagnosis. It is a relational wound, and it deserves a relational solution. Unlike litigation, which creates winners and losers, or therapy, which focuses on individual healing, mediation brings both parties to the table on equal footing — empowering you to shape the outcome together.

At Talking Alternatives, we bring years of experience helping families navigate their most difficult conversations. We are compassionate, patient, and deeply committed to the belief that before all of the hurt, there was love — and that love is often still there, waiting for a way back in.

If you are a parent longing to reconnect with your adult child, or an adult child wondering whether repair is possible, we are here to help you take that first step.

Conversation is always better than silence.

COMMUNICATION COACHING

TA mediators work with couples and individuals to improve communication and reduce argumentative behavior. This is not therapy; it is completely focused on communication, how people speak with one another. We have years of experience with parent/teen mediation, another speciality of our firm.

People, particularly couples who have been together for a while, get into conversational patterns that result in arguments and long-standing conflict. Sometimes, people get into cyclical patterns of conversation that escalate without the knowledge of how to end it. We work with people to establish healthy conversation styles, effective listening skills and the ability to create empathetic dialogues that factor in the other person’s emotions and needs. 

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

When families are faced with a crisis, mediation is a good way to begin a family discussion to improve family relations. The ‘sandwich generation’ finds themselves struggling to balance parents and children, which can create friction and misunderstandings. The relationship between teen or adult siblings can be disruptive to a household and family, making it difficult to celebrate occasions together. Talking Alternatives tries to help families communicate and understand the needs and roles of family members and of the generations. There are many instances where families are torn apart by substance abuse (by parents or children), illness or disability. Couples who have divorced sometimes need help to begin a conversation again to re-focus on the needs of their family. Our mediators help families have these necessary, but difficult, conversations.

COACHING 

Talking Alternatives provides conflict coaching on a confidential one-on-one basis. Conflict coaching uses individualized instruction to develop alternative dispute resolution skills. This service is helpful to those who are considering mediation to resolve a dispute or for those already involved in mediation who want to acquire further insight into how to work toward a non-confrontational resolution. Conflict coaching is a results-oriented process that is goal driven.