The latest issue of the Journal of the International Ombudsman Association is the first of two editions celebrating the ten years of IOA. The is the first issue from new co-editors, Howard Gadlin and Samantha…

Deadline: August 25th

I’ll be the first one to admit–my kids aren’t always great at following the lead. They can be a bit bossy and over-arching, and that’s on a good day. But, as I watched my son play with a friend the other day, I realized…there’s hope.

I looked on as, time after time, the friend grabbed a toy out of my son’s hand. Then, I observed my son just “moving on” to a different toy. No fuss. No fight. I was one proud Mama!

It made me wonder about a recent…

Join ACR President, Nancy Flatters, in her conversation with Dr. Bernard (Bernie) Mayer about his new book "The Conflict Paradox" and its embodiment of his evolving thinking about the heart of what we do as conflict interveners and how we make a difference. Bernie gets at this through focusing on seven essential paradoxes that…

Often we are thrown together because we have some kind of problem that needs addressing.

The usual problem solving process looks like this:

Convene -> Define Problem -> List Solutions -> Evaluate Solutions -> Create Action Plan -> Implement

• We are convened late (i.e. the problem has become expensive, time consuming etc.).…

This year’s Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) national conference features more than 120 speakers on diverse conflict resolution topics in over 75 sessions.  Join more than 400 other conflict resolution practitioners this October in Reno, Nevada from October 7-10.

Here is a brief glimpse of four of the many exciting sessions that are being offered:

Elder mediation is a new and growing…

Pre-Conference: October 12th & 13th, 2015, Conference:  October 14th, 15th & 16th, 2015

Pre-Conference, Conference and Single-Day Registration Options! 

The Pre-Conference and Conference sessions include practical topics such as:

• New Ombudsman training
• Managing high conflict personalities
• Hiring and managing employees
• Ethical decision-making  
• Making the most of technology  
• Writing…

Today marked the first day of Kindergarten for my youngest child, and it’s a bittersweet milestone for most of us Moms out there. It means the “baby” isn’t really a baby anymore, which can feel kind of sad. But, it also means you’ve kept your youngest child alive for five whole years (not as easy as you think)!

As I left him in the classroom, under the tutelege of someone I don’t really know, I secretly hoped he would learn something and, hopefully, not…

Mental health includes decision making, communication, and handling life’s pressure. When an adolescent has a mental health disorder, it may negatively impact the person’s ability to handle stress and interact with others. The National Advisory Mental Health Council estimates that 1 in 5 adolescents suffer from one or more mental disorders. Although mental illness can be…

What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].…

This year’s Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) national conference features more than 120 speakers on diverse conflict resolution topics in over 75 sessions.  Join more than 400 other conflict resolution practitioners this October in Reno, Nevada from October 7-10.

Here is a brief glimpse of four of the many exciting…

An old Bedouin was approaching his final days and wanted to leave his wealth to his three sons. The oldest would get the most, while the youngest would get the least.

The father’s wealth was his camel herd, all 17 of them. When his day came and he passed away, the three sons gathered to learn how his wealth would be distributed.

They were informed that…

One of the biggest trends in therapy right now is called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and it’s really a combination of a lot of different approaches to behavior change. But, perhaps the most notable technique to come out of this modality is called “mindfulness.” And, none of us in the therapy field can believe we didn’t think of this before!

What’s mindfulness, you ask? It’s the ability to be “in the moment,” to be aware of your surroundings. To calm…

From top Corporate business woman, to internationally acclaimed author, Anita Telle talks to us about how her child being bullied, changed her and her son’s life as well as the lives of many people from around the world. She has a mission: To teach acceptance and…

What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].…

Consensus is a an interesting word.

The dictionary definition is “general agreement or concord or harmony” which seems pretty easy, yet how do you know that a group has arrived at consensus?…

The Texas Conflict Coach® Blog Talk Radio program announces our "Back to School" series.

The following episodes will air every Tuesday from 5:00-5:30 pm PST/7:00-7:30 pm CST/ 8:00-8:30 pm EST.

To participate, go to the designated…

The first time I met my husband’s family, we were newly dating, and he took me to Cleveland, OH to meet his Mom, Dad, and Sister. It was a great visit, but I felt like I had stepped into somesort of bizzaro-world where people don’t speak…they shout. Happy, sad, angry, scared, worried–no matter which emotion was being expressed, it was expressed LOUDLY.…

What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly round up of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].…

I read last week about an open letter written by parents of the 16 high school classmates who were killed on that horrible Germanwings plane crash back in March.  The devastating loss for these parents and their community is unfathomable. 

I decided to read the letter in German (I am bi-lingual) to understand where the parents were coming from. Translations sometime lose the essence of the message.

The letter was addressed to…