Who is in charge?: effecting a productive exchange between researchers and practitioners in the field of family mediation

This is the third in an exchange of articles in this journal between a practitioner in the field of family mediation and two researchers in that field (Roberts, 1992; Dingwall and Greatbatch, 1993). The main area of discussion has focused on the efficacy of conversational analysis as an analytical tool for understanding mediation practice and the nature of the mediation process itself. This article, as well as correcting serious inaccuracies in Dingwall and Greatbatch's response, seeks to expand the discussion of broader issues of concern: quality control in the field of family mediation and the relationship between researchers and practitioners working in the same field.