There has been a renewed interest in the intervention of reality testing in mediation in Australia with the release in December 2022 of research conducted by Lola Akin Ojelabi and Alysoun Boyle, funded by the Mediator Standards Board of Australia. The authors note at the start of the report that the phrase used in the […]
Can we take the “reality” out of reality testing? Read More »
I’m not a skilled jazz musician. In fact, I played the violin for many years and was part of a youth orchestra – there was no room for improvisation in that setting! However, I have always loved jazz. Jazz is a great metaphor for constructive approaches to conflict. There is also so much we can learn from the
Jazz and conflict resolution Read More »
HISTORY OF THE TERM EMPATHY German philosopher Theodor Lipps first introduced the term Einfuhlung (empathy) around 1903 to describe how we should fully appreciate a work of art. His idea was that we should project ourselves into the work and experience it from within, rather than imposing our own frame of reference to interpret the
If you read my previous newsletter about trauma informed practice in conflict resolution, you will recall that one of the core trauma-informed principles is client choice. Choice is important for clients who have experienced trauma, but providing choice is also good practice for all clients. Choice supports empowerment and self-determination, which is important for conflict management, resolution
How much choice do you give your clients? Read More »
This topic is a hot one for many people in the coaching field, but it’s also relevant for people who work in mediation and other conflict resolution processes. What do we mean by advice? Before we get into some possible answers to this question, it’s important to clarify exactly what we are talking about when
Can a coach give advice to their clients? Read More »
What is trauma informed practice? There is a lot of talk at the moment about trauma, and the need for a broad range of practitioners to ensure that their practice is “trauma-informed”. This includes anyone who works with people who may have experienced trauma, not just those who provide therapeutic services to survivors of trauma. Having a
Trauma informed practice in conflict resolution Read More »
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the concept of the amygdala hijack. You’ve probably even used it as an explanation for why we sometimes do crazy things in the heat of the moment. Maybe you (or your clients) have even used it as an excuse for bad behaviour! The problem is that while the concept
The myth of the amygdala hijack Read More »
Empathy and compassion fatigue exists across a diverse range of professionals, particularly those who deal with clients who are experiencing strong emotions. Practitioners who work with people in conflict are no stranger to strong emotions, particularly those that are considered “negative” such as anger and frustration. It is important that conflict practitioners are aware of the
Empathy and compassion fatigue and the conflict practitioner Read More »
Along with the people involved in conflict, the practitioners supporting them also experience emotions before, during and after any interactions. The practitioners’ emotions may have an impact (positive or negative) on the clients, and the reverse is also true – the clients’ emotions may have an impact (positive or negative) on the practitioner. Why is it
The practitioner’s emotions in conflict Read More »
I’ve recently been exploring different ways that mediators can work with emotions in conflict. It’s surprising how many different things mediators do! Here’s a compilation of strategies I found that mediators reported using. Which ones they used seems to depend very much on the model of mediation, the personal style and preferences of the mediator,
Strategies for working with emotions in mediation Read More »
