When working as a counselor, it will quickly become apparent that there is no perfect or set way to help a client, because client situations clients can be very different and very distant. Clients may seek direct advice for their problems, but to be a clear and effective advisor, you must find the best way to help give the client the skills to find their own solutions. Most advisors will borrow from many different frameworks, known as the integrative approach, because different clients have different needs. The best indicator of success is the quality of the relationship between an advisor and the client. A counselor will play many different helping roles throughout their career, including mediation or advocacy scenarios. It may happen, as an advisor, that you have to deal with conflicts between two or more parties and play the role of mediator. Mediation is a voluntary, private and confidential process, in which the advisor plays the role of an impartial third party and promotes an agreement without coercion and without prejudice. A mediator helps the parties make spontaneous and informed decisions. The mediation process should be clearly explained where the parties to the mediation control the outcome. The mediation process is a guided negotiation, helping parties to communicate with each other in a neutral environment, exploring issues that are of real importance to them. Parties are encouraged to find ways to meet their present and future needs, rather than dwelling on aspects of the situation that might have been good or bad in the past. There are many cases where an advisor or client may feel that mediation is necessary. The role of mediation is used when dispute resolution is necessary between two or more parties...... middle of paper ......d.). Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: Pearson Education Australia. Smith, T. (2006). Customer advocate. Department of Community Services: West Coast TAFESosin, M. and Caulum, S. (1983). Advocacy: A conceptualization of social work practice. Social Work Vol 28, p12-17http://www.makingmeaning.com.au/mediation.htmSome examples of mediation in action. (nd) Retrieved from http://www.familymediationhelpline.co.uk/downloads/7-fmh-case-studies-page-v0.pdfNotes on the mediation facilitative model (nd). Retrieved from http://www.city.edu.hk/slw/ADR_Moot/doc/Notes_on_the_Facilitative_Model _ofMediation.pdfCurtin Counseling and Mediation (nd).http://counsolving.curtin.edu.au/local/docs/Guidelines%20for %20Mediation.pdfhttp://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/07/04705119/0470511907.pdfhttp://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/16664_01_Nelson_Jones_(BCS)_Ch_01.pdf