TESTIMONIALS
See what people we’ve helped have to say
When families face conflicts regarding their elders’ care or finances, we provide mediation services to help them find common ground. For those unsure how to plan for their loved ones’ future, our professional facilitation ensures productive family meetings. When relatives are unwilling to come together and talk, our conflict coaching helps family caregivers learn to navigate difficult conversations.
Click the tabs below to read inspiring family caregiver testimonials from those who have benefited from our conflict resolution services.
What our mediation clients say
CS, Sunnyvale, CA
We had a family member with a dementia diagnosis, in need of moving from their home to one with on-site supervision. The family strongly disagreed as to what setting would be best. The family member felt left out of the decision-making process, unable to feel heard as to their desired care wishes as they faced the potential future challenges of their diagnosis. Katharina successfully helped to facilitate and mediate communications with all family members, including the family member with dementia. The confidential mediation structure offered the family member an opportunity to be heard; giving them a sense of dignity, respect and some control over their life. The improved family communications ultimately resulted in the family member being able to actively participate in decisions about their care plan to the best of their abilities.
A Retiree Couple, San Leandro, CA:
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we wish to express our sincere gratitude for your help in recharging our family harmony with our adult children through your mediation.
LKN, Campbell, CA:
It has been a pleasure working with Katharina. She has facilitated 3 mediations for our family and we couldn’t be happier with her service. I have an aging father that needs assistance with medical, financial, and general care needs and we have had disagreements within our family organizing and communicating who will assist and when. Furthermore, we have complex interfamily relationships due to a family business. Katharina has brought us all to the “table” in a safe, calm environment. Allowing each party to share their feelings, wishes, and concerns. It has truly been a blessing for our family to have Katharina’s support and I am happy to refer her to others.
Carrie W., S.F. East Bay, CA:
I highly recommend going to Katharina prior to any attorney at the onset of conflict. I strongly feel her approach could have saved my family a lot of money and strife. She could have helped facilitate conflicts to a mutual ground of understanding without a doubt. Lovely lady with her heart is in the right place for all considered. Her experience and dedication to create harmony is a gift to complex situations, just wish I had found her A LOT sooner.
Nicole O., San Francisco, CA:
Katharina was an especially great listener, generous with her time and so laser focused. She can really help move things forward in a fair and swift way, while taking all the time necessary. She asks such helpful questions, frames things in a positive way, navigates matters as a true neutral, and is so skilled at building trust. Not only does this make it possible for family members to kindly work with each other to come up with agreements, but after mediation is through, family members have new communication skills that will make future family conversations easier
Paul S. San Francisco, CA
Katharina helped my sister and I come together and get through highly charged and emotional disagreements on how to best care for our 90-year-old mother. Through our first mediation session, we were able to take a step back, learn to listen to each other and appreciate where we both were in order to come to a mutually beneficial outcome. Katharina brought to our situation a completely neutral approach with deep understanding of family dynamics and with her insight was able to allow us to cool off and see each other from the place we were respectively at. Her ability to slow the interactive process down, to show/teach how not to be reactive, but to be present – which is not necessarily easy – benefited us now, and will I’m sure benefit us in the future. Thank you Katharina!
X.O., Oakland, CA:
Katharina helped my family understand the process of mediation and allowed us to come together to decide on a care plan for my grandmother. She distilled hard information and synthesized it to help us formulate a cohesive understanding of future possibilities.
Y. Felix, Oakland, CA:
Katharina came on very short notice, facilitating a very difficult family financial negotiation that had to be made the same day. She helped us break down the core issues, and sort through some of the emotions associated with the situation. We came to an agreement after only four hours, aired some grievances, shared appreciations, and though perhaps sightly bruised, intact as a family, and with a reasonable devision of shares. Thank you Katharina!
Bryan C., Family Caregiver, Santa Monica, CA:
I’m a long distance caregiver for a mother in her 90s who was recenlty diagnosed with dementia. After an initial meeting with Katharina Dress, my mother hesitantly agreed to allow her to facilitate a mediation between her and me, because I wanted to make plans to ensure her future health and safety. From that one meeting, I learned a couple of very important things about my mom. Knowing them explains a lot about her, so I feel closer to her. I also related many things I like about my mom. Before that I think she thought I didn’t like her and now I believe she knows that I am very fond of her, so she’s more willing to allow me to give her the support she needs. I felt really relieved when at the end of the mediation session my mother said to Katharina: “You are a good facilitator.”
Renda Dabit, Executive Director, Henna Garden Events and Entertainment:
After two sessions of mediation with a few members of my family, the ground work was established on how to communicate in the safe setting that Katharina Dress and her co-mediator provided. I felt heard, respected and supported during our mediation sessions. The way both mediators were able to communicate with my elder mother, who is 75 and an immigrant to the US, was truly amazing. Major barriers were overcome and now there is more open communication and tools we continue to use thanks to the excellent team work of both Katharina and her co-mediator. Their efforts made a huge difference in my life.
Emily, Boston, MA
Katharina provides a much-needed service for families to help them navigate difficult palliative and end of life conversations. When a close family member was unable to make decisions for herself, conflicting family views prevented us from making a decision. Katharina stepped in as a mediator. She spoke separately with each individual involved to hear everyone’s point of view and then orchestrated a 3-hour call where we could all listen, be heard, and ultimately move forward in the best interest of the patient. Katharina brought an experienced voice to the conversation and led with empathy and always a patient-centric perspective. She also impressed me with her commitment to help us arrive at a conclusion. With so much emotion, uncertainty and newness to end-of-life discussions, Katharina helped keep family communication open and grounded with professionalism.