Let’s Talk This Out

AAMS grants students an opportunity to resolve issues in a constructive environment.

BY DARCIE ZUDELL | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY ALYSSA SHEETS

College freshmen who live on campus have to face the challenge of balancing school and their social life while simultaneously maintaining good grades, successful relationships and managing mental health. That and the notably testing experience of living in a shoebox with someone they just met.

Living with someone new can be incredibly tough, and when arguments arise, it can only exacerbate the discomfort that comes with sharing a space. One may think there is no productive way to resolve a problem when both parties are set in their ways. Athens Area Mediation Services (AAMS) disagrees. In this tricky game of conflict, AAMS can be a referee to assure everyone has a fair shot.

By promoting active listening, understanding and collaboration, AAMS helps parties find common ground and reach agreements that are both fair and sustainable. For those that are tired of the shouting matches and are looking for a better way to approach conflict, AAMS is the perfect resource. AAMS helps individuals approach disagreements productively by promoting a new era of civility.

“The Athens Area Mediation Service is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides the residents of Athens County with cooperative approaches to dispute resolution,” DeeDee Dransfield, the current interim director of the non-profit, says.

“There are many aspects to understand about this unique organization,” Dransfield says. “We believe that our approach to mediation and training empowers individuals and community groups in two salient ways.”

The first way is through the mediation process. When scheduling a mediation, two volunteers serving as mediators will facilitate an open conversation between parties.

“During a mediation, the mediators serve as unbiased facilitators,” Dransfield says. “Our goal is to provide each party with the opportunity for their voice to be heard and listened to uninterrupted .”

Cooperation is key in mediating sensitive disputes. If one party does not agree to mediation, it will not happen. Though a surprise mediation may sound amusing on paper, it would not be effective in reality. There needs to be a willingness for change to occur.

“When we receive a request and the other party has not yet agreed to mediation, at the request of the person initiating the mediation, AAMS will contact the other party to explain mediation and determine their willingness to participate,” Dransfield says.

If the person requesting mediation is hesitant to reach out to the other person involved in the conflict before the mediation session, a staff member is more than happy to do it for them. Gauging a reaction on the phone is one thing, putting it on paper is another. Dransfield says, “The purpose of having the parties sign the Agreement to Mediate is to confirm their willingness to engage in the process and confirm their understanding of the guidelines.”

Once a form indicating consent to mediate is signed, both parties have time to discuss their side uninterrupted. The role of the mediator at this point in the process is simply to listen.

“People, unless they feel like they’re listened to, they don’t always open up so well,” Trisha Lachman, a volunteer mediator of 20 years, says. “I think all of us experienced that in life. When people are attentive to us, we really appreciate it.”

The mediation process allows all sides of the story to be told candidly, without fear of interruption or judgment. At the end of this process, both parties sign a conflict resolution form, which indicates that there has been a resolution or compromise made among everyone involved.

Sarah Horne , the board president of AAMS, says she “can’t recommend it enough.”

“Having that third party, having a judgment-free zone and having a place where you can really work through things into a deep level, kind of getting past those emotions that can make having difficult conversations,” Horne says.

The volunteer mediators are not licensed therapists or lawyers. AAMS offers extensive training called the “Fundamentals of Mediation.” This training can be utilized by anyone interested in becoming a volunteer mediator or those seeking to gain better conflict resolution skills.

Training is offered by AAMS at least twice a year according to AAMS’ website. The process is about 15 to 20 hours long.

“AAMS offers training on a variety of other conflict resolution-related topics,” Dransfield says. “Most often these trainings are provided at the request of a particular group or organization. We also offer more advanced training sessions to our volunteer mediators.”

Students at Ohio University can attend training sessions for free . In the past, training sessions have been at Baker University Center and Ellis Hall. This past academic year, AAMS offered training to OU students twice.

Horne recalls meeting students who were not looking to become volunteer mediators but were recommended by their professors to take the training. Horne notes that the AAMS is always excited to meet people who are not just looking to be mediators but are seeking better conflict resolution skills.

A study by Mental Health America reveals that 42 percent of middle-class adults cannot afford therapy or care . To combat inaccessible health care, AAMS does not have a standard fee for their services.

“AAMS offers a sliding fee scale so that money is not a barrier to taking advantage of our services,” Dransfield says.

The sliding scale charges are based on annual income. If an individual is facing financial insecurity, AAMS is willing to work with them to get them the support they need. For example, according to AAMS’ website, if someone seeking services had no annual income or one that amounted to $25,000, a two-hour mediation session would cost $20.

AAMS does not only work out disputes between two people, but they also offer mediation to businesses and other organizations. Their services were only recently utilized by OU. Lachman was employed by the university to facilitate a listening session between OU and their branch campuses.

As previously stated, the mediators at AAMS are volunteers.

While those volunteers give their time and knowledge to the community, one volunteer noted that she has gotten something in return.

Lachman found that her experience as a mediator gave her an optimistic view of the world and how people communicate with one another.

“I just feel that it gave me hopefulness in my life,” Lachman says. “We can look for ways to be agents of change in our communities. I think that it’s very life-giving to see people be able to solve things and to see the joy in their faces when they can experience that something is no longer an injustice, but it’s something that’s been worked through.” b