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Selective Facilitation: Some Preliminary Observations on a Strategy used by Divorce Mediators

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

David Greatbatch  and
Robert Dingwall
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Abstract

Serious criticisms have been raised about divorce mediators' claim that they act as purely neutral facilitators of party-driven agreements. This paper reports on a study, based on tape recordings of mediation in the United Kingdom, intended to describe the strategies used by mediators and clients in the attempt to resolve disputes. It identifies a technique, labeled “selective facilitation,” through which clients may be steered in particular directions chosen by the mediator. This poses important questions for future evaluation studies and for the regulation of mediation practice.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 23 , Issue 4 , 1989 , pp. 613 - 641
Copyright
Copyright © 1989 The Law and Society Association

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Footnotes

This research was supported by funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and the Wates Foundation.

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