Is There a Place for Faith-Based Mediation?

As I was reading my AAMFT magazine the other day (it's one of my favorite magazines), I read an article on Faith-Based Therapy, something that's really started to catch-on in the therapy world.In essence, Faith-Based therapy is when a therapist and client use spirituality as the underlying premise for therapy. For example, a Christian therapist and client may look at healing through spiritual means or call upon the principles held by Jesus as a way to navigate the therapy process.

It happens in all different religions, and it makes sense: If religion or spirituality is a large-part of someone's experience, why would a therapist leave it out?

It got me thinking about Faith-Based mediation, especially in the family mediation arena. If a family comes to me, and religion is a large part of their family experience, should I pretend it doesn't exist, or (if I'm comfortable with it) should I use that spirituality to guide the process?

When someone comes to therapy and wants to discuss their religious beliefs, I usually ask them all sorts of questions about it, especially if I'm not familiar with that particular religion. No one has been offended so far, and I think clients like the fact that I want to learn about their culture.

So, too, with mediation--if two parties come to mediation and want spirituality to be part of the discussion, I think I would ask lots of questions about how to proceed...and hope it helps, not hinders, the discussion.

Britt

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Comment by Sethu Nair on April 10, 2014 at 3:01pm: In my mind, it is about being faith-sensitive, rather than being faith-based. The ability to understand beliefs that are core to your parties, and helping folks hear better by speaking in language that resonates with them is a fundamental tool for the nuanced and thoughtful mediator.

Articulating activities as faith-based or offering faith-based mediation as a service can be useful I think, not in the process of mediating, rather to engage specific audiences and communities. It helps people acces and trust mediation. To be faith-sensitive, also pushes us to grow as mediators. I've found that faith is only "separate" from life to those who don't care for faith. And mediating for those folks will likely mean shifting your language to being more secular.