• Mediation Services

      Resolving disputes is CDR’s specialty.   We’ve mediated thousands of cases over the last 30 years, utilizing well-trained and experienced mediators and case developers to provide high quality services throughout the mediation process.

      We offer mediation services in a variety of areas within our Community, Family, and Restorative Justice Programs.

      Family Mediation

      Separation/Divorce

      Couples

      Co-parenting

      Parent/Teen

      Elder Care & Probate

      Community Mediation

      Neighbor to Neighbor

      Landlord/Tenant

      Manufactured Communities

      Nonprofit/For-profit

      Government/Public

       

       

      Restorative Justice 

      Restorative Justice in Schools

      Community Restorative Justice

      Circuit Court Diversion

      Municipal Court Diversion

      Post-Release Victim-Offender

       

    • Facilitation Services

      CDR has well-trained and experienced facilitators who can work with groups of all sizes and types.

      Our facilitation services are tailored to the needs of a particular group, and we can be flexible with meeting lengths, times, as well as one-time vs. ongoing facilitation needs.

      If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, please reach out to CDR to talk with our staff who can help match our services with your needs. 

      Family Mediation

      Separation/Divorce

      Couples

      Co-parenting

      Parent/Teen

      Elder Care & Probate

      Community Mediation

      Neighbor to Neighbor

      Landlord/Tenant

      Manufactured Communities

      Nonprofit/For-profit

      Government/Public

       

       

      Restorative Justice 

      Restorative Justice in Schools

      Community Restorative Justice

      Circuit Court Diversion

      Municipal Court Diversion

      Post-Release Victim-Offender

       

    • Restorative Justice Services

      CDR has decades of experience with youth and adult restorative justice.

      Restorative justice guides people who commit harms to take a full and active form of accountability.  At the same time, it takes seriously the needs of victims and their right to have a strong voice in how the harm is repaired.  Schools, courts, and workplaces are increasingly training their teams in these values and tools.

      Schools

      CDR supports the growing movement in education for more holistic, equitable, relationship-based discipline structures.  We assist educators and administrators in cultivating meaningful, growth-oriented accountability in their schools through professional development trainings, sustained coaching of specific school personnel, systems consultation, and facilitation of restorative discipline dialogues.

       

      Criminal Justice

      In partnership with the Office of the Lane County District Attorney, CDR runs a Restorative Justice Diversion Program.  Defendants who plead into this program go through a series of dialogues to collaboratively explore what full accountability means for their situation, where the impacts have been, and what can be done towards making things right.  This program has an excellent track record of diverting individuals away from sentencing and toward meaningful community integration.  

      Community

      Residents of Lane County may initiate a case with CDR for a Restorative process to address a specific harm. Our trained, experienced facilitators conduct individual meetings with the person harmed and the person or people who caused the harm.  We uncover impacts and needs, and determine whether to convene a dialogue between the parties.  These cases have some resemblance to mediations, but the goals are authentic rebalancing of relationships, humanizing the “other,” and seeking to address real impacts. 

       

  • Resources and Learning

Restorative Justice - Restorative Practices

Restorative Justice (RJ) is a model of addressing conflicts between members of a community. It is rooted in indigenous philosophies and traditions, notably the South African philosophy of ubuntu as demonstrated in the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Diné (Navajo) Nation’s justice system of Peacemaking. Because of these roots, Restorative Practices are predicated on core values listed below.

The term “restorative practices” can refer to a wide array of approaches, and focusing only on the term “restorative” can sometimes be misleading. The goal is not only to restore individuals and communities to harmony after they’ve been harmed, but to be intentional about building and maintaining community relationships in the first place. 

A 2018 US Dept. of Education study found that Black male students are over 3 times more likely to receive suspensions and expulsions than White male students, and Black female students more than 5 times more likely than White female students. Exclusionary discipline practices do little to solve the root cause of conflicts, and they are often used to punish subjective infractions (like defiance or disrespect) rather than objective rules. Restorative Practices—when carefully and ethically applied—offer potent skills and empower school community members to participate in solutions, creating the potential for the community to recognize and reform institutional flaws that perpetuate inequities.

The Center for Dialogue and Resolution has been working in Lane County for 40 years, supporting family mediation, criminal justice diversion programs, teen court, and restorative justice. We are part of national and state networks of community dispute resolution centers and participate regularly in research and professional learning communities.

In a Restorative school, both prosocial and unwelcome behaviors are opportunities for learning and growth.  Students in Restorative schools often experience greater belonging with their peers, and experience school staff as real people who are interested in their needs, not just their compliance.  When students do make harmful choices, these instances are less likely to result in their exclusion, and more likely to give them a chance to make meaningful repair. 

Restorative Practices give teachers the tools to bring their behavior support more into alignment with the rest of their teaching.  They provide students with real practice in building listening skills, empathy, and expressing their needs appropriately, all of which circumvents much disruptive classroom behavior.  Teachers also know that in a Restorative school, their own impacts and needs will be taken into account when the school responds to harmful student behaviors, and to staff conflicts. 

With Restorative Practices in place, administrators have the tools to support positive behavior, and reform unwelcome behavior, in a way that truly supports every person involved: students, parents, teachers, and the school community as a whole.  From chronic absenteeism to hallway fights, and everything in between, working restoratively means administrators no longer have to choose between taking the harm seriously and keeping the responsible student in school. 

Values

  • Every individual in a community is inseparable from the community itself (i.e., there are no throw-away kids”)
  • Educating participants in a conflict to understand the needs underlying their actions and the impact of those actions on their community is preferable to forcing them to adhere to rules or authorities they don’t understand.
  • Conflicts can be meaningfully resolved only when the person(s) harmed have a voice in how that harm is repaired.
  • School communities and learning rely on healthy relationships; Restorative Practices teach strong communication and social-emotional skills.
  • Power-sharing on the part of those in authority increases trust, understanding and community buy-in.

Skills

  • Social-Emotional Skills

Active Listening;

Empathy;

Emotional Literacy;

Non-violent communication/Affective Statements

  • Reframing value-laden language
  • Collaborative Problem-Solving 
  • Awareness of Community 
  • Understanding implicit bias 
  • Peer leadership and mediation

The "why" of Restorative Practices

(Video from Spokane Public Schools)

Mediation with book and glasses

Mediation

For nearly 40 years, CDR has provided high quality mediation services to the communities of Lane County. CDR helps clients through the entire mediation process, from the initial call, to the final agreement and resolution. Our goal is to ensure that the mediation process is responsive, efficient, and affordable. Learn More About Mediation Services

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Facilitation

CDR's facilitation program guides groups through all kinds of issues and group dynamics toward resolution.  Whether your group is new or long-standing, large or small, informal or professional, CDR can help. Learn More About Facilitation Services

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Education and Training

CDR conducts trainings throughout the year in a broad range of topics. Our trainers have a collective hundreds of years of experience in all areas of conflict resolution. Our trainings are available to the public, and we also do custom training for groups of all kinds. Learn More About Trainings and Education Services

Building Peaceful Communities

For the past four decades, CDR has been building more peaceful communities in Lane County.  Our services, and the training and workshops we provide, have helped tens of thousands learn how to use positive communication to transform conflict.

DIVORCE 101

Once a month, CDR provides a low-cost informational workshop for those considering separation or divorce.
Learn More

Upcoming Workshop