Mediators are responsible for the process;

the parties are responsible for the outcome.

 Community Mediation Services, now the Center for Dialogue and Resolution (CDR) has been serving Lane County as a non-profit organization since 1982. As mediators we assist parties in conflict by guiding them through an informal dialogue process in which they are empowered to collaboratively create a win-win resolution with each other.

A partnership with Lane County Department of Youth Services was formed around 1992 which began the Restorative Justice Program (RJP) at CDR. RJP primarily serves victims and juvenile offenders, as well as the community as a whole. By providing safe opportunities for dialogue, RJP enables those individuals who were impacted by a crime to come together with those are believed to be responsible for it, so they themselves can decide together how the harms can best be repaired.

In all cases, we provide highly skilled, well-trained mediators who remain impartial regarding the issues at hand while creating a fair and safe environment in which the discussion can occur. By remaining neutral and unattached to the outcome, mediators work to help each party express their interests in a way the other party can hear and they help each party to understand the interests of the other.  [learn more about the guided process of mediation]

CDR concentrates its focus in the following areas:

Community Disputes

CDR acts as a neutral third party to help solve problems between neighbors, landlords and tenants, consumers and merchants, organizations, businesses, co-workers, housemates, and others. We offer mediation on issues including pets, noise, lifestyle, rental agreements, money and more. The Community program can usually address any dispute that could conceivably be resolved through dialogue as long as both parties are genuinely interested in finding resolution to the problem and are competent to make decisions for themselves and understand the implications of such a decision.

Restorative Justice

CDR partners with Lane County Department of Youth Services to bring juvenile offenders together with their victims to discuss the offense and all of its impacts and to reach agreements for reparation and healing. On occasion, when appropriate, CDR also provides mediation for cases involving adult offenders and their victims.

 Parent-Teen Mediation

We provide low-cost mediation services to parents and teens who need help resolving conflict between them. CDR offers an effective alternative to counseling that provides an opportunity for open communication and discussion of issues such as curfew, car use, school attendance, dating, friendships, drug use, and household responsibilities.