Read this great blog post by on Indisputably, by Jen Reynolds at University of Oregon School of Law. Jen describes an exercise that she presented at the ABA’s recent conference, which aimed at helping students develop “critical patience”, which dispute resolution practitioners need so much. Sure, we say “patience is very, very important” all the time – but how do we teach it, or help our students develop…

So, many of you know that I just started a new job as a Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice, and I could name off a million reasons why I chose to accept the position.

But, one reason was this: The company offers pre- and post-baby counseling for couples, something I always thought is sorely needed.

In fact, after I visited my Sister, her husband, and my newborn…

Have you had the experience when a friend, colleague or family member tries to impose their beliefs, needs, values, or expectations on you regarding a way you handled a situation? I have never been fussy about sentences that start with “You should have...” and then a pronouncement of what the speaker thinks would have been more appropriate. Of course, it may well be that I did not use my strongest conflict mastery skills at these times. Yet, I am not meaning to share what happened so that I…

Someone makes an inappropriate comment, maybe a racist or sexist joke. You feel uncomfortable and hope that someone else will speak up. Everyone hopes that someone else will speak up. Uncomfortable silence falls. What does it take for active bystanders to speak up? When they do so, they can often avert brewing conflict. Learn more about how people can become active bystanders…

Check this out: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2419712

I've always thought that end-of-course activities should go far beyond the classic wrap-up – a teacher reviewing what s/he thinks was included on the curriculum…

Have you ever sat in a meeting and thought to yourself ... I don't really know anything about these people beyond their name and role in whatever project or issue that brought us together?

So what triggered this random idea for today's blog?

Well, I had the chance to drive a colleague to the airport in Las Vegas last week. We got stuck in traffic and so we had more time than usual for conversation. Even though we have been working together for almost a year, I really don't know…

 

March 2014

 

 

Greetings All:…

I have the utmost respect for those in the customer service industry. Seriously. They have to deal with cranky callers all the time, and I include myself among them.The other day, I was especially geared up for a fight when I called the customer service number for the I-Pass (the toll agency here in Illinois). I had received a letter in the mail stating that I had not paid two tolls, which I KNOW I did because I had the bank statement to prove it. And, boy, was I gonna let that customer…

I have been thinking about when I hear someone explaining their rationale for saying or doing something that has upset or provoked me or another person. I realize that at times it sounds like an excuse and at other times it sounds like a reason. You may ask what difference does it make?

Providing reasons or excuses in our conflict interactions often seem to arise during the course of a dispute or after it is over. At these times, we - or the other person - may give a reason or excuse…

How community-based mediation in immigrant, ethno-cultural, and faith community groups is done to transform conflict?

It seems bullying is everywhere. We are actively addressing it in schools, in communities, and in families…and now also workplaces. Over the past several years, there has been a deluge of information about workplace bullying, some accurate and some not so much. In order to effectively address bullying, we need to ensure we have valid and reliable information. In this program, we…

It's not easy to let go of telling people what to do.  In this blog post, Angie Gaspar, explains how she's been able to commit to supporting self-determination through the transformative approach.  You can read the blog here.

I'm not one to follow the lives of movie stars and famous people ... but when I saw a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow with an online article entitled "Is 'Conscious Uncoupling' a Better Way to Divorce?", the mediator in my just had to click and read.…

[Also featured at http://www.mediate.com//articles/Video_based_mediation.cfm]

----------

I recently had the pleasure of writing a paper with my student-turned-teacher, Jeff Thompson (an alumnus of our Negotiation and Dispute Resolution program at Creighton and the Wizard Behind the Curtain at ADRHub). Jeff works on non-verbal communication…

Irvine, Calif. – JAMS is proud to announce the addition of JAMS Ireland as the newest member of JAMS International. JAMS Ireland offers parties from different jurisdictions mediation and arbitration services in Dublin and Belfast.

JAMS Ireland is the latest addition to the growing international network of high quality commercial ADR providers that JAMS established in 2011. Other members include ADR Center in Italy and Results ADR in the…

As I was reading my AAMFT magazine the other day (it's one of my favorite magazines), I read an article on Faith-Based Therapy, something that's really started to catch-on in the therapy world.In essence, Faith-Based therapy is when a therapist and client use spirituality as the underlying premise for therapy. For example, a Christian therapist and client may look at healing through spiritual means or call upon the principles held by Jesus as a way to navigate the therapy process.…

I have heard the statement “If I had it to do over …” in many contexts, including about choices of partners, careers, schooling, places to live, and so on. This week’s blog is about how this preamble arises in some interpersonal conflicts - in the aftermath.

There are a number of reasons that, in retrospect, we may speak about a situation in terms of what we ought to have done differently. Such statements may be said with regrets, disappointment in ourselves, and even a sense of…

The term bullying is used often, in this show we will talk about the many faces that bullies use, it could be in the form of a alpha male/female, a mean boss or the power hungry bully. We will explain the underneath motivation that causes bullying and how to take care of yourself when you are face to face with this kind of workplace behavior.

Katherine…