1. Caucusing in Mediation
A caucus is a privately held meeting attended by the mediator(s) and one of the parties.
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

2. Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006
Why Caucus?
To help people chare information they are not comfortable sharing in joint session.
To give the mediation a chance to better understand the party’s emotional experience
To give the mediator a chance to coach the disputant in terms of possible approaches to the conflict and process
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

3. Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006
When to Caucus?
When there are signals that a party is having trouble behaving appropriately in joint session
To provide parties a time out to cool down
To provide the mediators time to evaluate the process and further action
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006

4. Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006
Conducting a Caucus
All discussions are confidential unless the party authorizes the mediator to share that content
The mediator meets with every party each time s/he caucuses
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University, copyright protect, March 2006