Menu of Services

Mediation:

Mediation is a process in which a third-party neutral assists parties as they attempt to find a negotiated solution to their dispute. Mediators do not issue a judgment (they are not judges). Instead they work with the parties to find a mutually-agreeable solution to the dispute in order to meet their needs and interests. Mediation can be voluntary or it can be court-ordered. Dr. Raines has conducted more than 10,000 mediations, both civil and domestic. These cases have involved international commercial disputes, environmental and public policy disputes, divorce and custody disputes, accident-injury disputes, and more. Dr. Raines in on the rosters of The United States Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, The Georgia Department of Education, Cobb County Superior Court; Fulton County Superior Court; DeKalb County Superior Court; Gwinnett County Superior Court; Floyd County Magistrate County; and the 7th Judicial Circuit Superior Court (Paulding, Floyd, Bartow, Polk, Haralson, and Douglas counties).
           
Mediation fees are $150 for the metro Atlanta area, with a two hour      administrative fee for non-court ordered cases. Mediation outside of this area may be arranged, but travel fees may apply.

Facilitation and Strategic Planning:

Do you dread attending meetings at or for your organization? Do these meetings tend to get off-track, result in stalemate, deteriorate into shouting matches or simply waste precious time? You should consider hiring a meeting facilitator. Whether it is a small, but contentious board meeting or a public meeting with hundreds of angry citizens, a skilled meeting facilitator can vastly improve the outcome, efficiency and participant satisfaction. Dr. Raines has been facilitating multi-stakeholder meetings between local, state, and national governmental bodies as well as civic and non-profit organizations for many years. Previous clients include the Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, The Florida Supreme Court, and numerous local governments and water authorities. 

Fees for facilitation and strategic planning vary. Please email sraines@kennesaw.edu for a quote.

Dispute System Design:

Is your organization experiencing costly conflicts that result in litigation, high employee turnover, lost customers, low employee morale, and/or low productivity? Then you should consider contracting for a conflict assessment and dispute systems design. In a conflict assessment a neutral professional examines the types of conflicts occurring in or around your organization, the costs of these conflicts, their root sources, and possible strategies for intervention. Then the neutral works with individuals from within your organization to create a system to reduce the sources of conflict by designing appropriate processes for addressing disputes. These processes may include mediation, arbitration, ombudsing, coaching employees, training in communication and/or conflict management skills, open door policies and/or other techniques to bring needed change. The cost varies based upon the size of the organization. Please email sraines@kennesaw.edu for an estimate .

Program Evaluation:

Do you have an existing program that needs evaluation for the purposes of improvement or due to a regulatory or corporate requirement? Dr. Raines has evaluated alternative dispute resolution programs at the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kennesaw State University, The Dispute Resolution Center of Florida (A division of the Florida Supreme Court), and for numerous other organizations. The cost varies based upon the size of the organization and the particular project needing evaluation.

Fees for program evaluation vary. Please email sraines@kennesaw.edu for an estimate .

Coaching:

Need to prepare for your annual review? Want to ask for a raise or negotiate a job offer? Need to improve your managerial skills or transition to a new career? Conflict coaching is designed to assist individuals or small groups as they strive to make important career decisions, learn and apply constructive conflict management techniques in order to improve relationships, reduce the costs of unproductive conflict, and change negative interaction patterns. This is not therapy. Instead, it is skills training in order to improve your ability to manage conflicts, work with others, and be a better negotiator and manager.

To get more information or to contract for services, call:
Dr. Susan S. Raines
Tel. 770-815-4428