The Australian National Mediation Accreditation System Practice Standards refer to power in a number of parts: “A mediator must have knowledge [about] the dynamics of power and violence.” (Clause 10.1(a)(i)) “A mediator must be alert to changing balances of power in mediation and manage the mediation accordingly”. (Clause 6.1) “A mediator must have the ability […]
CRITICAL REFLECTION: Power balancing Read More »
THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF CONFLICT MATTERS has been written by Carol Bowen, presenter of our webinar about menopause and conflict. In the past ten years of my conflict resolution practice, it became clear to me that there was an increase in my coaching work of people, roughly between the ages of 40 and 55, desperately
Menopause and conflict Read More »
When mediators and coaches first learn how to mediate or coach, they are often taught a particular process with step-by-step instructions. This gives them a framework to follow as they practice and develop their skills. However, rigidly following those frameworks in the long term is likely to be problematic. Firstly, it may indicate that the practitioner
Adapting our box – co-designing a conflict resolution process Read More »
This is the first in a series of short articles that I’ll be sharing in the following months to encourage critical reflection about some of the things that are typically taught in standard facilitative mediation training. These ideas have arisen from my work supervising and mentoring new mediators, who often face challenges when putting their
CRITICAL REFLECTION: Ground rules Read More »
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 »
