Mission Statement
Established in 1979, the Community Dispute Settlement Center (CDSC) is a private, not-for-profit mediation and training center dedicated to providing an alternative and affordable forum for resolving conflict. CDSC promotes better ways to understand and deal with conflict through skilled teams of pro bono mediators, training programs in mediation and conflict management, and broad community outreach. We are committed to making our services accessible to underserved populations and to addressing emerging community needs.
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Since 1979, CDSC has been providing affordable mediation services to the community and to the courts. A list of our services includes:
- Divorce or Separation
- Marital Mediation
- Gay and Lesbian
- Elder Care
- Housing
- Consumer Disputes
- Workplace Conflicts
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Are you interested in incorporating new skills into your current work or making a shift in your professional role? We provide mediation training in the following areas:
- Basic Mediation Training
- Mediation Practicum
- Divorce Mediation Training
- Specialized Training
- Teleseminars
- Conflict Management
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CDSC offers customized interactive, skill-based mediation workshops to help you and your colleagues deal with conflict more effectively in your organization, group or workplace. Workshop topics can include:
- Understanding dynamics of conflict
- Strategies for de-escalating conflict
- Having difficult conversations
- Mediation overview
- Giving and receiving feedback
Mediation Training
Divorce Mediation Training
Our Community Partners
- Babson College: The Lewis Institute & Social Innovation Lab
- Boston Centers for Youth & Families
- Boston Children's Hospital/young Parents Program
- Brandeis University
- Cambridge Community Foundation
- Cambridge Human Rights Commission
- Cambridge Police Department
- City Year
- Crittenton Women's Union/Career Family Opportunity Program
- Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston
- Human Resources in Action
- Human Services Department/City of Cambridge
- Lasell College
- Pine Manor College
- Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services
- StreetSafe Boston StreetWorkers
- US District Court/Nelson & Lindsay Fellowship Programs
The Mimi Grosser Volunteer Fund
For more than two decades, Mimi Grosser has been a key and invaluable player in the CDSC lineup and a real role model for at least two generations of CDSC volunteer mediators, interns and Board members.
In Mimi’s honor and in recognition of the extraordinary service of CDSC’s volunteers, we created a permanent fund in Mimi’s name in 2013 that honors exceptional CDSC volunteers and provides scholarship support for deserving participants in CDSC training and professional development programs.
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Community Dispute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, depends on grants, nominal client fees and the generosity of donors to continue providing high quality mediation services to the community. Find out how you can help
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Contact Us
Our Location
60 Gore Street, Suite 202
Cambridge, MA 02141-1236
Call us at 617-876-5376
Email us by clicking here