Conflict resolution for international
families, teams, and neighbours
in English, German, French, and Arabic
Welcome
Conflicts are a normal part of everyday life, but can be particularly challenging to manage when they occur within a family, workplaces, or neighbourhoods. In difficult situations, where you may find yourself feeling stressed or frustrated, it can be helpful to involve a professional and neutral third party to help facilitate your conversation, so that you and the other people concerned can focus on thinking through your objectives and options for the future and negotiate a mutually acceptable agreement to take you forward. This is especially the case when different languages and cultural norms are at play: “translation” – literally and figuratively speaking – can be key to reaching mutual understanding.
As a multilingual Certified Mediator, I can support you in resolving conflict by offering structure, clarity, and a safe, fair, and confidential space to discuss the conflict and possible solutions.
For an initial consultation on how I can support you, kindly get in touch.
Termporary offer: As I am working towards licensing by German mediation associations, I am currently offering 3 mediations as a pro bono service free of charge or in exchange for a donation to a not-for-profit organisation. Please contact me to discuss further.
About mediation
- self-determined
- impartial
- independent
- confidential
- informed
- voluntary
Mediation is a conflict resolution method that supports conflicting parties to work out suitable solutions in a self-determined manner.
As a neutral and impartial mediator, I structure the process and support all parties equally to engage in a fair negotiation. The aim is to reach a mutually accepted and sustainable agreement.
By focusing on each party’s needs, shared interests and solutions for the future, mediation can offer new perspectives on the situation and support the parties in dealing constructively with the subjects of their disagreement.
The role of the mediator is to facilitate this dialogue, so that the conflict parties can talk with each other in a safe and confidential space. In more complex cases, or when a gender balance is advisable, I facilitate co-mediations in collaborations with a qualified colleague.
Participating in a mediation is voluntary. It does not preclude settling the dispute through legal pathways in the future, though often, the parties will agree to put legal proceedings on hold for the duration of the mediation, and the contents discussed in mediation will not be shared with the court. If the issues to be resolved have a legal dimension, the parties are encouraged to seek independent legal advice before concluding the agreement.
Services
The first step is an initial meeting with all parties involved, where we will discuss your questions about the process.
If we then decide to work together, the number and frequency of required meetings depends on the complexity of the case and is determined in consultation with all parties involved. They will be adapted to your individual needs.
- Each meeting lasts around 90 minutes.
- For groups, half-day meetings may be useful.
- In cases of immediate urgency or if you prefer a more compact format, we can work together intensively over a weekend.
Meetings are currently possible online. For in-person meetings in Germany or further international locations, please get in touch.
Multilingual services
- English
- German
- French
- Arabic (Modern Standard Arabic
& Levantine dialect)
My language competencies and international experience enable me to provide multilingual conflict resolution services and work with clients in English, German, French, and Arabic (Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine dialect).
This may be of particular value for families, teams, and neighbours of different nationalities or cultural backgrounds. For example, the common language used in a family or workplace might be English, while one parent’s or colleague’s first language is Arabic and the other one’s is German. In such a case, we will primarily work together in English. Yet in situations of high stress and strong emotions, when important matters are at stake, it may be calming and comforting for the parties to know that they can express themselves, and will be understood, in their mother tongue as well – without the additional layer of an interpreter.
About me
- Certified Mediator, qualified as per the legal requirements of Germany, my country of origin.
- Cross-Border Family Mediator, trained and listed by the International Mediation Centre for Family Conflict and Child Abduction (MiKK e.V.).
- As a member of the German Mediation Association (BM) and the German Family Mediation Association (BAFM), I am committed to their professional and ethical standards.
I am Leonie Harsch. Through my professional background in international humanitarian work, and through my university studies, I have over seven years’ experience of living in Arab countries. In addition, I have lived for substantial periods in France, the UK, and the Indian Himalayas. In my work alongside multinational humanitarian teams, I have supported detainees in southern Iraqi prisons, helped to re-establish contact between family members separated by war and armed conflict, and closely engaged with refugees and local host communities during field research in Germany and Lebanon. This experience, and the expertise acquired through my academic background in Middle Eastern Studies and Migration Studies (MSc, University of Oxford), enables me to offer bespoke support for individuals and teams dealing with conflict in cross-cultural and high-pressure settings.
Contact
For any enquiries and to explore how I can support you or your organisation, kindly get in touch at conflict.resolution@posteo.org for a half-hour consultation – free of charge, confidential, and with no strings attached. I look forward to your message.