In 1983, the Attorney General's Office pioneered the Face-to-Face (FTF) Mediation Program, adding a more formal mediation process to the continuum of services that help consumers resolve disputes. The Attorney General's Office currently funds 16 FTF community mediation programs serving more than two-thirds of the cities and towns and 49 District Courts throughout the Commonwealth.
The mediators are trained and certified in mediation skills and techniques in compliance with statutory requirements. Mediations are confidential and can be conducted at various stages of disputes. Consumers can seek mediation through a FTF program after an unsuccessful LCP mediation or before or after filing a complaint in the Small Claims Court.
FTF programs receive their cases from the Attorney General's Office and through referrals from the courts, community agencies, and LCPs. Mediation sessions are held at small claims courts, as well as at the FTF program's offices. Each program also recruits, trains, and supervises a pool of volunteer mediators.
Berkshire County
Berkshire Consumer Services Program
Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority
1 Fenn Street, 4th Floor
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Brad Gordon, Executive Director
Kayla Wendling, Case Manager
Phone: (413) 344-4861
Fax: (413) 443-8137
Email address: kaylaw@bcrha.com
Website: http://www.bcrha.com/
Service Area: Adams, Alford, Barrington, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Drury, East Otis, Egremont, Florida, Glendale, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Housatonic, Lanesborough, Lee, Lenox, Mill River, Monterey, Montville, Mount Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, and Windsor
Beverly
North Shore Community Mediation, Inc.
100 Cummings Center, Suite 307J
Beverly, MA 01915
Cynthia McClorey, Executive Director
Phone: (978) 232-1212
Email address: info@nsmediation.org
Website: www.nsmediation.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Gloucester, Salem and Peabody (including the towns of Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Lynnfield, Middleton, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Peabody, Rockport, and Salem).
Brockton
Greater Brockton Center for Dispute Resolution
215 Main St., Suite 207
Brockton, MA 02303-7610
Ron Fredey, Program Coordinator
Phone: (508) 897-2868
Email address: mediators@gbcdr.org
Email address: rfredey@gmail.com
Website: www.gbcdr.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Brockton (including the towns of Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Easton, Franklin, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Holbrook, Kingston, Mansfield, Middleboro, Norton, Pembroke, Plymouth, Quincy, Randolph, Raynham, Rockland, South Easton, Taunton, West Bridgewater and Whitman).
Brookline
Primary Address:
Metropolitan Mediation Services
40 Webster Place
Brookline, MA 02445
Phone: 617-241-0300
Alternate Address and Parent Corporation Home:
Brookline Community Mental Health Center, Inc.
41 Garrison Road
Brookline, MA 02445
Phone: 617-277-8107
Metropolitan Mediation Services Director: Joshua Jacks
Brookline Community Mental Health Center Executive Director: Cindy Price
Email address: consumer@metromediation.org
Website: www.metromediation.org
Service Area Includes Boston Municipal Courts of: Brighton, Central (downtown), Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, South Boston and West Roxbury; and District Courts of: Boston, Brookline, Chelsea, Newton, and Stoughton (including the towns of Avon, Boston, Brookline, Canton, Chelsea, Newton, Revere, Sharon, Stoughton).
Cambridge
Community Dispute Settlement Center, Inc.
60 Gore Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
Gail Packer, Executive Director
Danae Kristiansen, Office Manager
Phone: (617) 876-5476
Email: cdscinfo@communitydispute.org
Website: www.communitydispute.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Cambridge, Waltham, and Woburn (including the towns of Arlington, Belmont, Burlington, Cambridge, North Reading, Reading, Stoneham, Waltham, Watertown, Weston, Wilmington, Winchester, and Woburn).
Just-A-Start
1035 Cambridge St. #12
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141
Elizabeth Winston, Program Manager
Phone: 617.918.7518
Email: elizabethwinston@justastart.org
Website: www.justastart.org/
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Malden, Chelsea and Woburn (including the towns of Malden, Everett, Wakefield, Burlington, North Reading, Stoneham, Wilmington, Winchester, Woburn, Chelsea and Revere).
Cape Cod
Cape Cod Dispute Resolution Center Inc. (d/b/a Cape Mediation)
P.O. Box 193
(22 Old Tote Road)
Orleans, MA 02653
Carol Connolly, Executive Director
Deborah Fish, Mediation Director
Phone/Fax: (508) 240-1717
Email address: info@capemediation.org
Website: www.capemediation.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Barnstable, Falmouth, Nantucket, and Orleans (including the towns of Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Nantucket, Orleans, Provincetown Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, and Yarmouth).
Fitchburg
Mediation Services of North Central Mass., Inc.
100 Elm Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420
Charlene Hutson, Executive Director
Phone: (978) 466-9595
Fax: (978) 466-9522
Email address: info@mediationncm.org
Website: www.mediationncm.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, and Winchendon (including the towns of Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Gardner, Holden, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Princeton, Royalston, Templeton, Westminster and Winchendon.)
Framingham
MetroWest Mediation Services, Inc.
(Formally Framingham Court Mediation Services, Inc.)
600 Concord Street
Framingham, MA 01702
Seth Izen, Executive Director
Phone: (508) 872-9495
Fax: (508) 872-9764
Email address: info@metrowestmediationservices.org
Website: www.metrowestmediationservices.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Concord, Framingham, Marlborough and Natick (including the towns of Acton, Ashland, Bedford, Carlisle, Concord, Framingham, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lexington, Lincoln, Marlboro, Maynard, Natick, Sherborn, Stow, Sudbury, and Wayland).
Greenfield
The Mediation & Training Collaborative
277 Main St. Suite 401
Greenfield, MA 01301-3267
Betsy Williams, Mediation Program Coordinator
Phone: (413) 774-7469
Fax: (413) 774-7460
Email address: mediation@communityaction.us
Website: www.mediationandtraining.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Greenfield, Holyoke and Northampton (including the towns of Amherst, Ashfield, Belchertown, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Chesterfield, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Easthampton, Erving, Gill, Goshen, Granby, Greenfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Hawley, Heath, Holyoke, Huntington, Leverett, Leyden, Middlefield, Monroe, Montague, New Salem, Northfield, Northampton, Orange, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutesbury,Southampton, South Hadley, Sunderland, Warwick, Wendell, Westhampton, Whately, and Williamsburg).
Lowell
Middlesex Community College Law Center
33 Kearney Square
Lowell, MA 01852
Ken Dunn, Program Director
Martha Wright, Coordinator
Phone: (978) 656-3342
Fax: (978) 441-1749
Email address: Mediation@middlesex.mass.edu
Website: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/lawcenter
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Ayer, Concord, Lowell, and Waltham (including the towns of Ashby, Ayer, Billerica, Burlington, Devens, Dracut, Dunstable, Chelmsford, Groton, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, North Reading, Pepperell, Reading, Shirley, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Westford, Wilmington, and Woburn).
New Bedford
New Bedford City Hall
Department of Community Services
City Hall, Room 113
133 William St.
New Bedford, MA 02740
Marci Pina-Christian, Human Services Coordinator
Lead Mediator: New Bedford Face to Face Mediation Program
Phone: (508) 979-1464
Email Address: marcelina.pina-christian@newbedford-ma.gov
Service Area Includes District Court of: Fall River (including the towns of Acushnet, Assonet, Attleboro, Berkley, Dartmouth, Dighton, Fall River, Fairhaven, Freetown, Lakeville, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, North Attleboro, Rehoboth, Rochester, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Wareham, and Westport) and Taunton.
Springfield
Dispute Resolution Services, Inc.
115 State St.
P.O. Box 30023
Springfield, MA 01103
Leo Florian, Executive Director
Phone: (413) 787-6480
Fax: (413) 788-9685
Email address: drs.inc@verizon.net
Website: www.drsmediation.com
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Chicopee, Springfield and Westfield (including the towns of Agawam, Blandford, Chester, Chicopee, Granville, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick, Springfield, Tolland, Wales, West Springfield, and Westfield).
Worcester
Family Services of Central Massachusetts Mediation
31 Harvard Street
Worcester, MA 01609
Sabrina R. Bohun, Director of Mediation
T: 508-756-4646 ext. 244 F: 508-849-2077
Email Address: sbohun@fscm.org
Website: www.fscm.org
Service Area Includes District Courts of: Dudley, Milford and Worcester (including the towns of Auburn, Bellingham, Charlton, Dudley, Hopedale, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Oxford, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Upton, Webster, and Worcester).