• Advanced Skills for High Conflict

    "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

    highconflict.pngAll mediation involves conflict. However, some situations push far beyond ordinary levels of hostility. For those conflicts, additional training in an advanced set of skills for managing and redirecting conversations is helpful.


    High conflict mediations can involve a number of challenging components, including explosive personalities, confrontational conflict styles, the potential for threats, significant power imbalances, or even a history of physical violence. Some of the skills and techniques used to manage these cases include:


    • A more highly structured process
    • Less emphasis on the past and a greater focus on the future
    • A greater emphasis on practical problem solving
    • Fewer discussions regarding relationships and emotions between the parties
    • Careful management of party communications, including. The greater use of techniques like caucus

  • Alternatives to Suspension

    "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations."

    suspension.pngSchool discipline is a delicate balance between what is best for the student and what is best for the school community. Traditional suspension is unproductive from the point of view of academics as well as the well-being of the individual student. Not only that, but the school community at large suffers from a punitive approach that removes a student from their teachers and peers. There are also those students who intentionally take advantage of the suspension system in order to get away from school or to escape from a difficult situation. As a result, suspensions are not effective deterrence for many of the student they are designed to help.


    Alternatives to suspension can provide a much better motivation to get students to engage, to attend school, and to succeed. While traditional suspension remains an option, available to school administrators when needed. There are several occasions when alternatives may be more effective:

  • Parenting Plan

    “Effective parenting has nothing to do with pointing out our faults and everything to do with working out solutions.”

     Why Does it Have to Be a Custody Battle? Why Not a Parenting Plan? Learn to Mediate Parenting Plans To Help Families Deal with the Issues of Custody and Visitation.

    • Mediators can help parents make decisions together.
    • Parents can focus on parenting and not their own conflicts.
    • Kids do better when parents work together.
    • Parents may not be on the best of terms, but they can still be excellent parents.

    Dispute Resolution Centers are recruiting individuals to be trained to assist our community members to work through family conflict productively. This training will focus on acquiring techniques to manage conflict in collaborative and productive ways when tempers are flying and focus on the kids. We will deal with language, violence and other 'destructive' behavior head on. Be prepared that materials, language and film clips may be considered vulgar and are selected to assist students to acclimate to high energy conflicts. This workshop is facilitated by Duke Fisher, renowned New York State Certified trainer of Mediation who has been exploring the cutting edge of Conflict Management and Mediation since 1988.