Mediation Terms & Conditions
Mediation & Relationship Support is a restorative process for people who are navigating a specific conflict, disagreement, rupture, or relationship transition. The process can support reconciliation, repair, boundary-setting, problem-solving, accountability, or compassionate cutting of ties.
Mediation is not couples therapy, psychotherapy, medical treatment, or a clinical intervention. It is an educational and restorative process informed by restorative practices, healing education, and an artistic and pedagogical lens.
Who Can Use Mediation?
Mediation may be useful for many kinds of relationships and conflicts, including:
Parents and adult children who are experiencing conflict or estrangement
Artistic collaborators who are in disagreement about a project, creative process, credit, boundaries, or the future of their collaboration
Friends navigating a recurring conflict or major disagreement
Family members working through conflict, changing relationships, or difficult transitions
Romantic or non-romantic partners navigating a specific conflict or relationship transition
People practicing nonmonogamy who need support around agreements, boundaries, communication, or repair
Community members working through interpersonal conflict
Coworkers, organizers, or community collaborators navigating a disagreement or rupture
Former partners who need support with communication, boundaries, co-parenting, or transitioning their relationship
Creative, spiritual, educational, or community groups experiencing interpersonal conflict
Mediation is especially appropriate when the people involved want support addressing a specific conflict or relationship dynamic together. It is not intended to replace individual therapy, couples therapy, legal advice, or other professional services when those forms of support are needed.
Consent of All Parties
Mediation requires the willing and ongoing consent of all parties involved.
Before mediation moves beyond the initial consultation/intake stage, all parties must have an opportunity to understand the mediation process and consent to participating. Consent should be confirmed in writing, ideally through a group email thread that includes all parties and Aleah.
No person is required to participate in mediation, and any party may communicate that they do not consent to continuing the process.
Free 15-minute consultation calls may be available to any party considering mediation. These calls are optional and do not replace the mediation-specific 1:1 intake required before beginning group sessions.
Contact With All Parties
Aleah must have direct contact with each person involved in the mediation before the mediation can proceed to group sessions.
Each party must have at least one mediation-specific 1:1 session with Aleah before the first group mediation session, even if that person has previously worked with Aleah in a separate 1:1 support capacity.
A previous 1:1 support relationship does not substitute for the mediation-specific intake. This ensures that each person's perspective, consent, expectations, and understanding of the mediation process can be considered within the context of the current mediation.
A group email thread including all parties and Aleah is strongly preferred as the primary communication channel for the mediation. This helps reduce triangulation and ensures that everyone has access to the same basic information about consent, scheduling, and the mediation process.
Aleah will make reasonable efforts to communicate directly with all parties about scheduling and other mediation logistics rather than relying on one party to relay information to another.
Pacing & Scheduling of 1:1 Sessions
During the initial 1:1 phase, Aleah generally recommends that each person have their mediation-related 1:1 sessions approximately 1–2 weeks apart. This helps maintain momentum while also giving each person enough time to reflect, process, and consider what they want from the mediation.
The pacing can be adjusted when needed. The parties and Aleah may discuss together whether a particular situation would benefit from a faster, more intensive process or from a slower pace with more time between sessions.
The goal is to find a pace that supports meaningful participation from everyone without allowing the process to lose momentum.
Balance Between 1:1 Sessions
During the initial 1:1 phase of mediation, parties should remain within one session of one another.
For example, Aleah generally will not hold two mediation-related 1:1 sessions with one party while another party has had only one, unless Aleah specifically determines that an additional session is needed and communicates that decision.
This structure is intended to support balance, reduce triangulation, and prevent the mediation process from unintentionally becoming a series of individual support relationships rather than a shared mediation process.
Additional 1:1 sessions may sometimes be recommended when they are genuinely needed for the mediation process. These may include situations where a party needs additional preparation, clarification, support, or time before participating in a group session.
Moving From 1:1 Sessions to Group Mediation
The mediation will move from individual 1:1 sessions into group sessions when all parties and Aleah agree that the group is ready to do so.
There must be at least one mediation-specific 1:1 session with each party before the first group session.
Completing the 1:1 intake phase does not automatically mean that a group session will occur. Aleah may recommend continuing with individual preparation if the group is not yet ready to meet productively, safely, or consensually.
Likewise, any party may communicate that they are not ready to move into a group session.
Reducing Triangulation
The mediation process is intentionally structured to reduce triangulation—the passing of information, requests, emotions, or decisions through one person rather than communicating directly with everyone involved.
Whenever reasonably possible, mediation-related communication should include all parties. A group email thread is the preferred format for scheduling, confirming consent, and communicating about the mediation process.
Aleah will not intentionally position one party as the messenger, scheduler, or intermediary for another party. Parties are encouraged to communicate directly with Aleah and, when appropriate, with one another.
The goal is not to eliminate all private communication. Rather, it is to maintain enough transparency that no party is unintentionally excluded from the process or placed in the position of speaking on behalf of another person.
Restorative & Ethical Practice
Aleah's mediation practice is grounded in restorative practices, non-disposability, community care, autonomy, equity, and an ongoing commitment to self-reflection and accountability.
The goal of mediation is not to determine who is the “good” person or the “bad” person, nor to force reconciliation or continued relationship. The process makes room for accountability, repair, changed agreements, boundaries, and—when appropriate—compassionate separation.
Aleah strives to approach mediation with a trauma-informed, non-carceral framework that respects the autonomy and dignity of each participant. This includes recognizing that people enter conflict with different identities, histories, resources, social positions, and experiences of power.
The practice is committed to identifying and resisting oppressive dynamics, including racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, classism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and other forms of marginalization.
Aleah also recognizes that ethical practice is an ongoing process rather than a claim of perfection. Feedback, accessibility requests, and compassionate critique are welcomed as part of the continued development of the practice.
Nature of the Support
Mediation sessions are supportive, nonjudgmental spaces for reflection, communication, accountability, brainstorming, and processing.
These calls are not therapy or a medical intervention. They are guided by restorative practices and an educational/artistic lens—pedagogical healing work rather than medical healing work.
Aleah Black is not a therapist, clinician, medical professional, licensed counselor, or doctor and does not diagnose or treat medical or mental health conditions.
Participation in mediation is voluntary. Each person is responsible for deciding whether this process is appropriate for them and for communicating their own boundaries, needs, and consent.
Confidentiality & Limits
Mediation is intended to be a confidential space, with the understanding that confidentiality has limits and that participants are responsible for respecting the privacy of other participants.
Information shared during mediation should not be used to intentionally harass, threaten, shame, retaliate against, or otherwise harm another participant. Aleah may pause or end a mediation process at their discretion if the process is no longer consensual, productive, appropriate, or reasonably able to be facilitated. Harassment, sexually exploitative comments or behavior, threats, abuse, or sustained disrespect toward Aleah or other participants may result in termination of the mediation process and/or applicable fees.
Scheduling, Cancellation & Refunds
Because mediation requires participation and consent from all parties, mediation appointments may be cancelled or postponed when the necessary consent, contact, or preparation has not occurred.
If an appointment has been scheduled as part of a mediation and:
Written consent has not been provided by all parties; and/or
Aleah has not had the required mediation-specific 1:1 contact with each party,
the appointment may be cancelled and refunded as appropriate.
In these circumstances, a last-minute cancellation by Aleah is permitted and will not be considered a late cancellation or reschedule. All parties are expected to make a reasonable effort to attend scheduled sessions and communicate about scheduling directly and transparently.
These terms may be updated or changed by Aleah Black at their discretion.