About Us

Southeastern Dispute Resolution Services wants to be your first contact when you need positive communication, are searching for peaceful resolutions, and need help improving relationships. We offer a wide variety of dependable and professional dispute resolution services and training. Our office has certified trainers in General Civil Mediation, Peer to Peer mediation, Elder Care mediation, Restorative Conferencing, Peace Circles, Non-Verbal Communication, and, coming soon, Non Violent Crisis Intervention. SeDRS is quickly becoming a leader in conflict and dispute management for Southeast Michigan.

Meet our staff

Annual Reports

SEDRS Annual Report 2022
SEDRS Annual Report 2020-2021
SEDRS Annual Report 2019

Background

Southeastern Dispute Resolution Services was originally created in 1994 as Michigan court system’s Community Dispute Resolution Program began to expand. As the CDRP grew to 26 community mediation centers (currently there are 16 centers around the state), the original service plan was to provide outreach and training to interested individuals within each county to help solve conflict where they reside.

The current leadership team has been in place since 2004, and the office possesses a dedicated, professional, and skilled stable of mediators, trainers, and facilitators who are available throughout the service region: Jackson, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Monroe, and, as of 2021, Calhoun Counties. SEDRS currently possesses 49 mediators/facilitators, two trainers, four full-time staff, and five contracted workers. The office is funded through a series of local and state grants along with a diverse series of fee-for-service contracts and training contracts provided throughout the service region.

The office became a stand-alone non-profit entity in 2014 and has continued to blossom. Services grew from basic neighborhood and civil court disputes to complex probate court issues, Civil Rights issues, Special Education issues, and more. SEDRS is called upon by all of the local courts, many local attorneys, local school districts, and local businesses to help solve conflicts and provide training so conflicts can be prevented. The volunteers and staff of SEDRS maintain a high level of training and professionalism to keep up with not only the demand and growth of the office but also with the sophistication of the parties the office deals with. SEDRS is quickly becoming a leader in conflict and dispute management for Southeast Michigan.

SEDRS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.