Family Mediation Canada/Médiation Familiale Canada (FMC) to recognize Family
Mediation Day on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

WATERLOO, ON, Jan. 7 /CNW/ - Family Mediation Canada/Médiation Familiale Canada (FMC) will recognize Family Mediation Day on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 . This national day of recognition will celebrate the importance and contribution of the use of family mediation for conflict resolution in Canada .

Family Mediation Canada/Médiation Familiale Canada (FMC), now celebrating its twenty-fifth year, is the only national association for conflict resolution dedicated to the promotion of mediation as a response to family-related conflict. FMC supports the ongoing development of excellence and professionalism within its organization and in the practice of mediation. Since FMC's incorporation in 1985 as a registered charitable, not-for-profit association, its volunteer Board of Directors has worked hard to bring together a coalition of interdisciplinary professionals, such as, lawyers, counselors, social workers, psychologists, etc, all specializing in family conflict resolution. Through education, public outreach, and a national certification process, FMC members work collaboratively to create co-operative conflict resolution for issues related to separation and divorce, adoption, child welfare, wills and estates, international custody disputes, family business disputes, parent/teen and elder issues.

Mediation has been promoted worldwide by many legal and social experts as a viable and successful alternative to litigation -- from family and child-related disputes, to intellectual property infringement, civil disputes, and international political peace initiatives. Mediation is used in most industrialized nations such as the UK, USA, Australia , and Canada . Additionally, mediation has been successful as a catalyst of change for conflict resolution in developing nations.

Family mediation can dramatically reduce the human and financial cost of conflict by promoting and facilitating a process that reduces antagonism and enhances cooperation. Mediation provides people with tools to solve their own problems and allows families to maintain more control over their lives by giving them opportunities to create flexible arrangements that suit their family's unique circumstances. Family mediators are trained neutral facilitators who assist people to reach mutually acceptable agreements and who facilitate communication between family members. Participants in the mediation process are often more satisfied because they are the architects of their own solutions. They are also more likely to honour the agreements that they have created and this results in a more peaceful environment for everyone, especially children.

FMC's certification standards for family mediators are amongst Canada's most stringent. For information on FMC's certification standards and the Member's Code of Conduct please visit our website at www.fmc.ca.

To find an FMC accredited family mediator, or for links to provincial mediation associations where one can get more information about family mediation, please visit FMC's website at www.fmc.ca.

National Family Mediation Day will raise public awareness about family mediation and its benefits.

For further information: on the above, please contact Mary Damianakis, Chair FMC Public Outreach Committee or Elizabeth Ife, FMC President at [phone], or toll-free at 1-877-362-2005