Upcoming Courses
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Tuesday, June 01, 2021 9:00 AM
Online
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Thursday, October 14, 2021 9:00 AM
Online
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Option 1: Understanding High Conflict
Hours: 14 credit hours
Cost: $750 ADRIA members, $850 non-ADRIA members
Option 2: High Conflict Mediation: Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation
Hours: 28 credit hours Cost: $1100 ADRIA members, $1300 non-ADRIA members This course is also part of the Separation and Divorce Mediation Certificate Program
Register Now
Course Description
The potential for conflict is everywhere. Escalation and high conflict behaviours are almost unavoidable for many professionals working in conflict resolution. Mediators, and allied professionals working with parties involved in potentially high conflict mediations need to understand and manage complexity, emotional intensity, and challenges that may arise during a mediation.
Using a trauma informed practice perspective, this course prepares mediators to manage aspects of high conflict mediations, including safety screening, dealing with parties experiencing poor mental health, addictions and substance use issues, strong emotions, and challenging behaviours associated with personality disorders. Mediators will be equipped with the tools to determine whether to proceed, and if so, to mediate what can be high conflict discussions.
Why Use a Trauma-Informed Practice Perspective?
Trauma-informed practice (TIP) is a holistic, non-judgmental, non-blaming approach to working with people. TIP promotes safety, control, choice, and relationship that must start with an awareness of the prevalence of trauma in society – and the high probability that people accessing services and supports have experienced trauma. A TIP approach also recognizes that trauma has systemic and wide-reaching effects on individuals’ development, mental health, and adaptations/behaviours (BC Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health, 2013).
This approach is a strengths-based and client-centered approach that is compatible with, and builds on, the values outlined in the ADR Canada Mediation Code of Ethics. This approach is also consistent with interest-based mediation wherein the parties to the mediation remain the experts in their own lives and are the best people to make decisions about and solutions to their problems. A TIP approach to mediation can introduce skills and resources to the parties, as well as identify existing strengths, so that parties to a mediation may have other options to use when encountering conflict in the future
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Goals
In the context of high conflict and complex mediation cases, students will:
- gain a trauma informed perspective
- develop skills and tools for high conflict mediation
- demonstrate self-awareness and critical self-reflection
- be able to separate the people from problem behaviours
- be able to reflect on perspectives and needs
- recognize areas for future development of their practice skills and competencies
- note limitations and ethical responsibilities in relation to these limitations
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- be introduced to evidence-based content on trauma, mental health, and addictions
- engage in personal and professional self-reflection
- explore ethics
- be introduced to skills and techniques to use in high conflict and complex mediations
- consider professional identity/stance
- *develop a professional portfolio/resource list for practice
- *develop a plan for high conflict practice
- *have an opportunity to practice new skills and demonstrate self-awareness and reflection as part of the student assessment
*28-hour High Conflict Mediation course only
Learning FormatFlexible
- This course is designed to be flexible to meet your learning goals. We have created a flexible course where students can choose to take the 14-hour or 28-hour course. The 28-hour course is evaluated and also includes portfolio development, role-play, and self-assessment.
Blended
- Students will engage in blended online learning (synchronous and asynchronous) to explore high conflict behaviours and complexities from a trauma-informed perspective.
- For best results, students will explore theory and content through reading, activities, and videos, prior to live sessions. Then, students will engage in discussions with the instructor/facilitator during live sessions.
- This is not a role-playing course. Students in the 28-hour course will be required to organize a role-play as part of one of the final assignments.
Student Engagement
- Students in both the 14- and 28-hour courses will get more out of the course if they complete all the readings, videos, activities, and participate fully in the live sessions.
- This is a seminar-style course marked by reflection, informality, and discussion with a focus on student engagement and mutuality.
Transformation and Reflection - A primary goal of this course is to not only introduce trauma-informed principles, but to integrate new ideas about high conflict and complexities encountered in mediation. Hopefully, these new ideas will lead to new approaches to high conflict and complexities encountered in mediation.
- Students will be asked to reflect on new information and identify what the new information means for them and their approach to mediation.
Option 1: Understanding High Conflict
Hours: 14 credit hours
In addition to class hours/live sessions, students can expect to spend about 2 hours per week on reading and 1 hour per week on activities to prepare for live sessions
Includes: Course manual and course videos/links, access to forum, four live sessions
Requires: Full attendance and participation in all live sessions. A letter of attendance for “Understanding High Conflict” will be issued.
Prerequisite: Students must have completed mediation training (preferably interest-based mediation). The expectation is that students are already comfortable mediating, as this course does not teach basic mediation (this is an advanced course).
Option 2: High Conflict Mediation: Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation
Hours: 28 credit hours
In addition to class hours/live sessions, students can expect to spend about 2 hours per week on reading and 1 hour per week on activities to prepare for live sessions.
Assignments will take approximately 8-12 additional hours – this depends on learning style and on whether you are currently practicing or just starting out. Students will also be required to participate in a 75 minute role-play.
Includes: Course manual and course videos/links, access to forum, five live sessions, one role-play, coach feedback on role-play self-assessment assignment, marking of portfolio.
Requires: Full attendance and participation in all live sessions; completion of all assignments (self-reflection post, role-play and self-assessment, portfolio). A Certificate for “High Conflict Mediation: Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation” will be issued upon successful completion of this course. This course is also part of the Separation and Divorce Mediation Certificate Program.
Prerequisite: Students must have completed interest-based mediation training. The expectation is that students are already comfortable mediating, as this course does not teach basic mediation (this is an advanced course).
Timeline:
Pre-course – once you have signed the confidentiality agreement, the materials will be sent to you, and you will also be given access to the course webpage on adralberta.com. You can read the manual, complete the activities in the manual, watch the course videos, and do your 2 forum postings (Introduction Post and Self-Reflection Post – due 48 hours before first live session).
Week 1 – Introduction, Trauma Informed Practice, Ethics (3-hour live session); estimated 2 hours of course reading, 1 hour completing activities.
Week 2 – Mental Health and Illness, Addictions and Substance Use, PTSD, Personality Disorders, and Anger (3-hour live session); estimated 2 hours of course reading, 1 hour completing activities.
Week 3 – Case Development (3-hour live session); estimated 2 hours of course reading, 1 hour completing activities.
Week 4 – Dealing with High Conflict (3-hour live session); estimated 2 hours of course reading, 1 hour completing activities.
A letter of attendance for “Understanding High Conflict” will be issued for students registered for option 1.
High Conflict Mediation: Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation students
Week 5 – Portfolio assignment due; No live session
Week 6 – Role-play assignment due: No live session
Week 7 – Assignments returned to students. No live session
Week 8 – Sharing key learnings from Portfolio assignment and Role-play Debrief; (3-hour live session)
Training Comparison
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Option 1:
Understanding High Conflict
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Option 2:
High Conflict Mediation Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation
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Cost
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$750 ADRIA members
$850 non-ADRIA members
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$1100 ADRIA members
$1300 non-ADRIA members
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Credit Hours
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14 credit hours
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28 credit hours
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Prerequisites
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Students must have completed mediation training (preferably interest-based)
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Students must have completed interest-based mediation training. |
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Part of the requirements for the Separation and Divorce Mediation Certificate Program
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NO |
YES |
| Full attendance of live sessions |
Required - four sessions |
Required - five sessions
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Participation in discussion and activities during live session and pre-session reading and activities
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Required |
Required |
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Brief self-introduction forum post:
Introduce yourself to your classmates (150-200 words),
due 2 days before first live session.
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Strongly encouraged, but not graded – this activity will help develop a more collegial and safe learning environment.
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Required, but not graded – this activity will help develop a more
collegial and safe learning environment.
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Initial self-reflection forum post:
300-500 words, due 2
days before first live session. Consider where you are in your learning, where you want to be, and possible challenges. (And, try to find time to read your classmates posts)
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Strongly encouraged, but not graded – this will be discussed
in the first live session. |
Required, but not graded – this will be discussed in the first live session. |
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Understanding High Conflict
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Letter of attendance issued upon completion |
n/a |
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Professional Portfolio:
Develop a plan and a portfolio for professional practice in high conflict mediation using trauma informed principles.
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n/a |
Graded, 50% of final mark |
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Role-play Demonstration:
Students will be expected to organize a role- play in which they demonstrate skills mediating in high conflict. They will record this role-play.
Students will complete a self-assessment assignment on their role-play.
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n/a |
Graded, 50% of final mark |
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High Conflict Mediation: Managing Conflict & Complexity in Mediation
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n/a |
Course Certificate issued upon successful completion |
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ADR Designation Qualification
This course qualifies as 14 hours (Option 1) or 28 hours (Option 2) of specialized ADR training towards the Qualified Mediator (Q.Med) and Chartered Mediator (C.Med) professional designations.
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