Because some seats at the table are too important to leave empty.
Professional mediation for families, siblings, and adult relatives. Moving beyond conflict to restore the relationships that matter most.
The New Table Approach
In families, conflict can come from birth order dynamics, boundary crossing, personality clashes, or external pressures, but the impact is similar: it creates an emotional weight that affects every member of the system, not just those arguing.
At The Restorative Table, we believe that the pain of a family rift—whether rooted in a long-held grudge, a dispute over a family business, or the need to repair recent harm—doesn’t have to define your future. We provide a neutral, safe, and structured environment for adult relatives to navigate difficult conversations, moving beyond conflict toward lasting reconciliation instead of ongoing pain.
We don’t just settle arguments; we rebuild the table so everyone can sit at it again.
How We Can Help
What We Do
We specialize in heartache—the complex disputes between adult family members where the emotional cost is more important than the financial one.
- Sibling, Cousin & Parent Disputes: Resolving long-standing friction or specific disagreements between adult relatives.
- Caregiving Transitions: Helping families align on the care of aging parents or the management of family property.
- Family Business Conflict: Separating "family" roles from "business" roles to keep the company—and the Sunday dinner—intact.
Note: New Table Consulting LLC does not provide divorce or child custody mediation. Our focus is exclusively on the extended family unit and finding a path forward for those relationships that have been badly damaged or broken.
Ready to start a different conversation?
The hardest part of mediation is the first step toward the table. Let’s talk about how we can help your family find a way forward.
The Path to a New Table
Our Process
Walking into a room to discuss deep-seated family conflict can feel daunting. We design our process to lower the temperature, ensure everyone is heard, and keep the focus on the future, not just the grievances of the past.
1. The Discovery Call (Individual)
Before we meet as a group, I speak with each participant individually. This is a private, conversation where you can share your perspective, your concerns, and what you hope to achieve. This ensures that when we sit down together, I understand the nuances of the "unspoken" dynamics.
2. Setting the Ground Rules
Family arguments often fail because they lack structure. We begin our joint session by establishing clear boundaries for communication. We agree on how we will speak to one another, how we will listen, and the commitment to stay at the table as we work to find a path forward.
3. Identifying the Real Friction
Often, long standing family pain is rooted in recognition, fairness, or past hurts. We peel back the layers of the current dispute to identify the core issues and the impact that the situation has had on all members of the family. My role is to facilitate a process that allows everyone to be heard and understood and then to help you find a path forward that is better than the status quo.
4. The Family Agreement
Our goal isn't just a verbal agreement. We wrap up by documenting the path forward in writing so that each person has an agreement that they can stay accountable toward honoring.
Why This Works
- It’s Neutral: I don’t take sides. I am an advocate for the relationship, not for any one person.
- It’s Confidential: Unlike a courtroom, what is said at the table stays at the table.
- It’s Future-Focused: We acknowledge the past, but we do not live there. We spend 80% of our time on how to make the future better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mediation is a voluntary process; I cannot subpoena someone to the table. However, I can often gain the trust of each individual that is necessary to lead them gently to the table. Often, they refuse because they fear the session will be a “venting session” where they get blamed. Once they understand my role is to protect the process and ensure their voice is heard equally, they are usually willing to try one session.
Mediation is goal-oriented and future-focused. Therapy often looks deep into the “why” of the past over many months. Mediation focuses on the “how” of the future. We are there to solve specific problems and create a functional path forward, often in just a few sessions.
Not at all. Mediation is about finding a solution that everyone can live with. Unlike a court case where a judge imposes a “win-loss” decision, a mediated agreement is only reached if all parties say “Yes.” You retain total control over the outcome.
Absolutely. Many families come to me because their lawyers have reached a standstill or because the legal fees are mounting with no resolution. I can work alongside your legal counsel to resolve the emotional and relational blocks that are preventing the legal settlement from moving forward.
Every family is unique, but most disputes can be significantly de-escalated in one to three sessions. My goal is to give you the tools and the agreement you need to move forward as quickly—and healthily—as possible.
My expertise lies in restoring and maintaining long-term family systems. Divorce mediation is primarily about the legal dissolution of a partnership. My work at New Table is focused on bringing people back together in a way that decreases future pain and respects needed boundaries.
Testimonials
About Me
Dr. Bob Berk
For decades, Bob has dedicated his career to the study and practice of bringing people together to solve complex, high-stakes challenges. Now, through The Restorative Table, he focuses that expertise on the relationships that matter most: family.
Bob’s extensive background—including his Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies and years as a school leader guiding communities through conflict—has equipped him with a deep understanding of the human dynamics, structures, and systems that cause friction. While much of this work involves applying this knowledge to executives and organizational teams (www.newtableconsulting.com), he recognized that in families, the emotional cost of conflict is always the highest.
Bob believes that the skills needed to build a high-performing team—clear communication, trust, accountability, and the ability to engage with tension—are the same skills needed to restore a family. As a neutral and future-focused mediator, Bob is committed to guiding adult relatives away from the history of a long-held grudge or recent harm toward a path of lasting relationship. He is not there to judge or assign blame, but to ensure everyone is truly heard and to help you rebuild the table so everyone can sit at it again.
Bob is also the co-author of Blue Trail Breakthrough, which explores a framework for building strong workplace relationships—a model he now customizes to help families navigate their unique challenges. Outside of his work, Bob values his own family time and enjoys activities like hiking, kayaking, and beach walks.