Have a dispute on a Sunday afternoon and could use a mediator to resolve it that same day?

Michigan residents now have MI-Resolve, an online dispute resolution service accessible using a smartphone or computer.

MI-Resolve provides text-based mediation with professionals trained through programs approved by the Michigan Supreme Court’s State Court Administrator. The sessions are free and can be accessed 24/7/365.

The mediation is confidential, as long as it doesn’t include threats of harm and similar communications in the system that cannot be used in court. If an agreement is reached, the system then produces a form that is signed by the parties, which produces a binding contract.

MI-Resolve can be used for a variety of disputes without having to go to court. If a case has already been filed, the program can be used before the trial date. If a consensus is reached, any necessary forms for filing in court are generated in advance.

The program has been particularly useful for parents dealing with custody and visitation issues, such as when conflicting views arise over holidays and school schedules.

The process of mediation is robust and adaptable, so it’s no surprise that more and more are being successfully conducted online.

I was recently teaching a new course for volunteer mediators and asked the class what they thought might be the most difficult thing to learn about mediation. Their answers suggested what non-mediators usually consider reoccurring challenges.

For example, a frequent response was how best to “deal with emotions.” When pressed for more details, most said they expected participants in mediation to be emotional and were concerned they’d be unprepared to sufficiently address those feelings.

The second most frequent response dealt with staying neutral. Many were concerned about avoiding taking sides and how to appear, and in fact be, neutral. Others worried about being too transparent and unable to hide their reactions to the conflicts being discussed .

And lastly, those with some knowledge of mediation, worried about having to be the decision-maker and being unable to effectlively tell participants what to do.

These concerns are all legitimate, but mediation training programs address them all. Mediation is at the heart a skill that can be learned, and when developed, can be applied to both formal mediation and informal dispute resolutions.