• Confidentiality and the Right to Privacy (3.5 hours)
• Conflict As Opportunity (3.5 hours)
• Custody Mediation: King Solomon’s Nightmare (7 hours)
• *Defining Mediation Models: A Professional Conundrum (6 hours CME credit, 2 hours ethics)
• *Identifying Theory and Practice of Mediator Authority (2 hours CME credit)
• Negotiation Skills for Everyday Life (3.5 Hours)
• Recognizing and Overcoming Sex and Gender Bias in Family Mediation (7 hours)
• Self  & Identity: Individuality, Community and The Intersection of Systems of Domination (7 hours)
• The Norm-Educating Mediation Model (7 hours CME credit)
• Using Dialogue to Make Decisions (3.5 hours)

*Virginia Supreme Court Continuing Mediation Education Credit

Conflict As Opportunity
The use of “informal” dispute resolution processes has been promoted as preferable to the economic and emotional cost of litigation. However, contrary to popular belief, research indicates U.S. culture is not overly litigious. In fact, many people are avoidant of conflict. If parties decide that preserving the relationship is a major goal, then dialogue, negotiation, and mediation are three tools that can increase the ability to address conflict. Skills of dialogue provide participants with an opportunity to learn from one another and explore differences. Negotiation based on dialogue means all parties are able to listen, and ask for what they want. In mediation, a neutral third party assists disputants in discovering solutions that may be found in their shared truths. However, parties need to recognize when pressure to be collaborative and conciliatory may jeopardize legal rights. Choosing which process is best in any given situation is as important as addressing the content. Information about the different roles professionals play, from judges, to attorneys, to therapists, to mediators is necessary for making these decisions.

These workshops are designed to provide tools and information for professionals, consumers, and all who are in relationships, families, and community. In promoting use of alternative dispute resolution methods, conflict resolution should not be confused with conflict management or control, which may be used to silence rather than empower participants.