About SVM
Building stronger communities:
One conversation at a time.
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Since 2010, Susquehanna Valley Mediation (SVM) has been helping individuals, families, organizations, and communities navigate conflict with dignity and understanding. What began as a community mediation center has since grown into a regional hub for conflict resolution, family and community support, civic engagement, youth development, with a focus on collaborative community healing.
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Our vision is simple: peaceful communities where people have supportive connections; address challenges constructively, and honor one's humanity... even when there's disagreement.
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Today, SVM serves the communities of Snyder, Union, and Northumberland counties with mediations, facilitation, restorative practices, recovery and reentry support, family and kinship preservation services, youth support programs, and civic dialogue initiatives.
​Transformative Mediation
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Transformative mediation remains the heart of our work at SVM. Conflicts are often connected to larger challenges such as family stress, substance use, isolation, trauma, economic hardship and social division. Over the past several years, we've expanded our services to meet our neighbors where they are.
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Mediation is a voluntary process that can help you get clarity; understand your own point of view, or another's point of view better, with the possibility of coming to an agreement. Two trained co-mediators from our center facilitate the process. Mediators do not judge, give advice, act as counselors, or make decisions. There are several models of mediation, and at SVM we use the Transformative approach.​​​
The Transformative Model of mediation rests on these premises:
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A person’s reality is unique to that person and based upon their experiences.
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People have inherent needs both for advancement of self and connection with others.
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People are capable of making decisions for themselves — and want to do so.
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People are capable of looking beyond themselves — and want to do so.
Our programs now include:
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​Family, landlord-tenant, workplace and community mediation
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Crisis Rapid Response Family Meetings under the Family Engagement Initiative
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Families in Recovery: Recovery support and education for those seeking or in recovery and/or family members or loved ones of those with Substance Use Disorder
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Prison Reentry and Reintegration services, including the facilitation of Stopping Abuse For Everyone classes
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Story Circles and Civic Conversations to engage the community with one another
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Youth support groups for at-risk or struggling teens
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Community dialogue facilitation and conflict resolution education
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Let's keep building a Valley where people don't just live alongside one another, but thrive together.
In 2025, SVM had:​
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13 new mediators trained
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129 mediations held, virtually and/or in-person
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54 SVM volunteers donated more than 3,400 hours
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62 rapid response family meetings facilitated with over 529 participants
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25 people attended the BALM Program for families in recovery
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74 families in Recovery Support Groups held with 75 adults and 12 children
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3 families in Recovery Activities with 121 people
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13 Recovery Family Mediations for Treatment Court Participants
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54 people assisted with prison reentry/reintegration
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120 new story circle facilitators trained
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35 story circles facilitated with 400 participants
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110 teens attended the CSIU Story Circle Training facilitated by SVM
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3517 mediation cases since we opened our doors in 2011
SVM is proud to be part of both the National Association for Community Mediation and the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation.
SVM by the Numbers