La'Rie McGruder-Hunt, Family Coordinator

Parent/Teen Mediation Program

The Parent/Teen Mediation Program, which Community Mediation began in 1997, helps parents or guardians and their teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 work together to resolve specific problems such as chores, curfews, house rules and teen/parent lifestyle issues.  Mediation sessions are scheduled at times and places that work for each family, and additional mediation sessions are scheduled as needed. There is no charge for this program for families living in New Haven.  Families outside New Haven will be charged a fee for each mediation session.

What is Parent-Teen Mediation?

Parent-teen mediation uses trained, neutral staff and volunteer mediators to help families develop solutions to concrete problems.  The parent/teen mediation process allows parents and teens to express their thoughts and feelings, listen to each other, identify issues that mediation is able to address, break down misunderstandings by opening communication, clarify ways the situation could change, develop their own solutions to the problem, write a mutually acceptable agreement and find ways of managing conflicts in the future. 

Parent/teen mediation can help prevent escalation of the conflict and gives families the opportunity to address the underlying issues contributing to the current conflict.  Through the mediation process, parents and teens develop communication and problem solving skills that better equip them to handle future conflicts.

Types of Conflicts Appropriate for Parent/teen Mediation

Types of conflicts appropriate for parent/teen mediation include the following:

• Truancy
• Pre-delinquent activity
• Chores/Curfews/House Rules
• Teen lifestyle issues
• Parent lifestyle issues
• Relationships between parents and teens
• School performance
• Families with Service Needs
• Runaways

For more information, contact La’Rie McGruder at 203-782-3507 or larie@cmediation.org.