Isaac's Story

Isaac contacted the talk²sort Mediation Service after coming across The Bridge on social media. At the time Isaac was lonely, isolated because of his circumstances at home and was a victim of bullying at school.

After making contact with the service, the Mediator arranged to meet Isaac at his school to discuss whether the service would be appropriate for his needs.

Following on from this discussion, Isaac decided to give mediation a go. Prior to doing so, the Mediator completed a referral form, provided their contact details, offered the option of sending an appointment letter home and also answered any further questions Isaac had. Isaac asked if the Mediator could text him details of the appointment instead as he was mindful that he did not want his father to know he was accessing the service as this may upset him.

During his first individual mediation session, Isaac shed light on the situation at home. He was living with his father and his younger brother Rupert, who suffered from severe physical disabilities which meant he was unable to do anything for himself. As such, Isaac’s father became Rupert’s full-time carer. Whilst Isaac had a good relationship with his father, he felt there was an element of disconnect in their relationship as his time was spent concentrating on the health of his brother.

Isaac had also recently moved schools and was experiencing bullying. Not only were the taunts related to his appearance, but many comments were directed at Rupert and his health condition, upsetting Isaac further.

The Mediator helped Isaac address the issues at school. Isaac did not want to come across as a “snake” by “snitching” to the school, so talking to family members, and the schools pastoral team, the bullying began to cease as Isaac adopted a “civil” manner towards the bullies.

Whilst Isaac’s situation at school was improving, his home life worsened impacting his school attendance as it was sadly reported his brother Rupert had passed away. Isaac did not want to be at school, instead wanting to be at home with his father. At this time, Isaac said that continuing to attend mediation sessions was really helping to organise his thoughts and emotions.

During a mediation session, Isaac decided it was time to address the issues in his relationship with his father directly by sharing how he was feeling and what he needed. From this conversation, Isaac’s father revealed had no idea of all the thoughts and feelings he was harbouring and apologised for not sharing his time equally between the two children.

In his final mediation session, Isaac stated that he felt much more confident in himself as a person and that the issues at school were rectified. He was pleased to share that he had begun attending all of his lessons again and he was spending a lot more time with his father.