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:

Abusive, Controlling, & Volatile Parties: Safeguarding the Parties and the Process

Christy Cumberlander Walker (Mediation Specialist, Clark County Neighborhood Justice Center) and  Marya Cody Kolman, (Director Mediation Services, Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court) share the following overview:

Abusive, controlling and volatile parties are found across all practice areas and not just in family and divorce cases. How can we protect the physical and emotional safety of all participants and preserve the integrity of the process? This interactive session will begin with a discussion of the dynamics of coercive control and indicators of possible volatility. We will examine available resources including the recommendations of the ACR Taskforce on Safety and best practices for working with clients who have been subject to or perpetrated domestic abuse, bullying, or intimidation. Participants will explore ways to develop appropriate screening tools and learn and practice techniques for mediating and terminating cases with abusive, controlling or volatile parties.

Read more: http://reno.acrnet.org/2

How To Integrate Scientific Information Into Complex Public Policy Consensus Seeking Processes

Juliana Birkhoff, Ph.D. (Senior Mediator, Center for Collaborative Policy) and Scott McCreary (Ph.D., President, Concur) share the following overview of their session:

This session focuses on advanced practice skills for federal, state, and municipal staff who are developing public engagement or consensus seeking processes on complex issues. It is also designed for senior or experience mediators who want to include new approaches to community, city and regional issues. The half day workshop will present strategic steps to assess what information to include, how to prepare experts, how to ensure that all perspectives are included, and how to avoid cognitive biases and prejudices so that all information can be addressed in consensus seeking efforts.

Read more: http://reno.acrnet.org/1

Tools to Prove You Practice What You Preach

Rochelle Arms (Ph.D .Student, George Mason University School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution) and Dan Berstein, (Founder, MH Mediate) share the following overview of their session:

Mediators advocate many principles to clients before and during the mediation process; examples include impartiality, self-determination, and safety. Effective implementation of mediation principles is essential to maintain client trust and to grow skills as a practitioner. But how do mediators demonstrate both to themselves and to their parties that they fully uphold their principles? This workshop introduces a framework for evaluating the quality of your practice, and a take-away tool to check consistency between your espoused principles and your behaviors in mediation. Finally, we share ways your quality-building efforts can be a differentiator when marketing your practice. 

Read more: http://reno.acrnet.org/3

The Language of Money: Helping Parties Negotiate Money Matters

Sande Roberts, MA (Owner/CEO, Sande Roberts Consulting) Susan Bulfinch, JD (Mediator and Trainer, Mediation Offices of Susan R Bulfinch) and Wendy Forrester, JD (Attorney Mediator, Wendy Forrester Mediation Center) share the following overview of their session:

Money is a powerful negotiating chip. It is a primary issue in family and business disputes. It impacts life, relationships and decision-making and is a key cause of stress. Understanding and recognizing that people have different values, motives, actions and reactions to money can help practitioners navigate through money issues effectively. When agreements fall apart, people go to the negative side of their behaviors, which are dramatically different than how they acted when first entering into an agreement. This workshop is interactive; participants will learn their personal style and practice new skills helping parties negotiate money matters.

Read more: http://reno.acrnet.org/4

Register for the conference [HERE]