Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County

The Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County (DRC) is a community based non-profit agency, established in 1991 to serve Thurston County and surrounding area residents with their conflict resolution needs. We offer a variety of services including: Information and problem solving over the phone 2nd party calls to invite them to problem solve with you Confidential mediation services with neutral facilitators for family, business/consumer, landlord/tenant, workplace, neighborhood, and any other disputes Confidential multi-party mediation services for your agency, faith community, co-op, organization, housing unit, extended family, workplace, etc. Large and small group facilitation Extensive training services including Basic Mediation Training, Multi-party Mediation Training, Family Mediation Training, Facilitating Effective Meetings Training, as well as custom designed trainings to meet your specific needs. Continuing education practicum for becoming a Certified Mediator Organizational design and conflict resolution consulting services Volunteer program with on the job training Speakers Bureau and Community Information Booths	Join us for our very popular 40-Hour Mediation Training Do you want to improve your work environment? Help your family solve conflicts more peacefully? Build relationships with your neighbors? Enhance your professional skills and become a Certified Mediator? Fun, highly interactive course! June 23 - 27, 2008 Click here for online registration Facilitating Effective Meetings May 15-16, 2008 Do you oversee or facilitate difficult meetings? Are you tired of attending unproductive or dysfunctional meetings? Do you wish you had more tools for moving a group forward? Click here for mail-in registration. Family Mediation Training* May 29-31, 2008 Are you drawn to working with families? Our advanced training prepares you for the increased complexities and higher emotional climate present in family cases. * Pre-requisite: 40-hour professional mediation training. Discounts available for DRC volunteers. Click here for mail-in registration.
Mediation is a very effective way to solve conflicts. The parties in the conflict agree to sit down with trained mediators who act as neutral facilitators. The mediators ask the parties to agree to some basic ground rules of civil behavior and good faith negotiating. The parties each get an uninterrupted chance to briefly describe what their conflict is about and what they would like to see happen. They agree to a list of topics and discuss each one, coming up with possible solutions that will meet as many of their needs as possible. If the parties wish, the mediators write down any agreements that are made. When signed, these agreements are intended to be legally binding. Mediations are private, confidential negotiation sessions. Anything said in a mediation cannot be used by the parties as testimony in any court proceeding. The mediators cannot be called to testify in court about anything said in a mediation session. When both parties are able to follow the process and make a good faith effort, 80% of mediations achieve agreements and 90% of the time these agreements are followed.
Having a dispute? Interested in Mediation or Training? Interested in being a Volunteer? Call our office at (360) 956-1155 in Olympia, between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Trained staff will listen to you, find out what you need and explore ideas to meet those needs. If the lines are busy, leave a message and someone will call you back. A call to us may be the most helpful call you will ever make!	View our latest Newsletter Check out the latest news and events from the DRC of Thurston County. Spring 2007 Summer 2007 Fall 2007
The Dispute Resolution Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) business. Donations are always welcome. We are listed as charity #316167 with the State Combined Fund. Cash, check, VISA or MasterCard are accepted for donations, training, and services.