The Dance of Reflexive Monitoring in a Family Co-Mediation Context

Abstract

This article describes a qualitative study of the co-mediation process from the perspective of mediation practitioners, and what salient features distinguish it from sole mediation. The study examined the nature and character of the interactive patterns of communication performed by all participants as central features of the process. Forty-seven mediators were surveyed by questionnaire in relation to the co-mediation process. A further seven mediators were subjected to in-depth interviews. Their combined responses revealed co-mediators as “agents of change” tasked in a distinctive way with facilitating fair and just outcomes to family disputes. Exploration of the characteristics unique to co-mediation revealed a dynamic reflexive monitoring interplay with interconnected functions comprising a complex “dance” that involved all participants.