PRACTICE ISSUES, STRATEGIES, AND MODELS The Current State of the Art of Family Mediation Edward Kruk A recent Canadian study begins to dress ihe lacuna in fanu’ly mediation process research idenrified by Kelly. This study generated important data previously mi available on a broad range of issues and concerns regarding the process and pmctice of famiry mediation and the extent of variability of currentfamily mediation practice. The study focused on where family mediators position themselvesin relation to salieni issues and debaies in thefield; the interven- tions, methods,procedures. iechniques, and strategiestheyfind most useful and effeciive in their work; and the theories that guide them in iheirpractice and the models ofpractice that they use. This article reports the key findings of the study and begins to discuss the implications of the researchfor mediation practice and sociolegal policy. In her recent FCCR article, “A Decade of Divorce Mediation Research,” Joan Kelly (1996) concludes that research on the family mediation process and the actual working methods of mediators has received very little attention and should be the focus of research over the next decade to elevate the field to a more sophisticatedand effective level of practice. This lack of systematic research on the process of mediation and the attitudes, beliefs, styles, behav- iors, strategies, and roles of family mediation practitioners is striking,in light of the fact that family mediation is far from a monolithic field of professional practice: The process of family mediation comprises a wide spectrum of variations,and a plethora of practice models are being applied with mediation clientele. In a recent Canadian study, more than 500 family mediators participated in a national survey examining in detail their working methods. Of these, 250 were practicing mediators for whom family mediation constituted a signifi- cant part of their professional practice and who constituted the final sample for the “Practice Issues, Strategies and Models: A Comparison of Court- Based, Non-Profit Community Agency and Private Family Mediation” project. The purpose of the research was to present new data on a broad range of issues and concerns regarding the process and practice of family media- tion. The study sought to provide detailed information on three critical components of family mediation: FAMILY AND CONCILIATIONCOURTS REVIEW, Vol. 36 NO. 2, Apd 1998 195-215 Q 1998 Sage Publications, Inc. I95