David Mandel-a fresh approach to family violence
I was very fortunate recently to hear David Mandel present about family violence. David is a practitioner, educator and researcher from the USA who has spent his career developing a new way of approaching the issue of family violence. He has highlighted a number of dubious assumptions that have underpinned our attitude to identifying and…
Child Focus and the Narrative Model of Dispute Resolution
This approach to mediation evolved from the narrative family therapy model developed in the mid 1980s. [1] It is based on the understanding that the way we interpret the world around us depends on our social and cultural background and experiences. In other words, the meaning we attribute to events, our reactions and point of…
Insight from Shakespeare about the breakdown of relationships
400 years since Shakespeare died, yet his plays continue to have so much to say to us today! As I watched Othello on the weekend, I was astounded by the insight and wisdom that this play demonstrates about relationships and human nature. This is a tragedy that pushes relationships to a limit, and challenged…