Unconscious bias-what is it and what can we do about it
Since International Women’s day I have noticed various articles circulating about Unconscious Bias or the blind spots that we all have that impact unconsciously on the way we treat others. These affect us all unknowingly-how we think about issues, how we respond to situations, and how we make decisions. It is particularly topical now, as…
The effective use of Parenting Plans to formalise parenting agreements
If the frequency of questions I am asked about Parenting Plans is any indication, I sense there is significant concern amongst professionals about relying on them to formalize agreements in family disputes. There are many advantages that flow from using Parenting Plans, and I hope that clarity around these would mean that they can be…
Beyond active to perceptive listening.
As a consequence of my engagement with a business coach, I have joined a Business Book Club. To begin with I wondered why someone as time poor as me would even consider this, but I have to admit that I have read some absolutely fantastic books that I would never otherwise have picked up, and…
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…
Keeping clients from being stuck in the past
When moving clients from a “stuck” position, I have found that some of the hardest things are to facilitate a sense of progress, and to prevent the client from slipping back into that stuck position between sessions or even in the one conversation. The Solution Focus approach provides some very useful tools to assist with…
Encouraging future focus and a solutions outlook
I am often confronted by clients who are stuck in the awful things that have happened to them in the past, and unable to move beyond these to think of what needs to happen to get to a better future. They can be overwhelmed by the problem, and my skills as a dispute resolver are…
Breakfast Networking Seminar 8 March 2017 7.00 am to 9.00 am
Have you been asked by clients to draft up an agreement for them and wondered which of the various options would be best? Have you worried about complying with the requirements of the legislation, and using the most appropriate language? These and other questions will be answered at our next Breakfast Networking Seminar when experts…
Turning Problem talk into Solutions talk
As professionals working with family disputes most of our influence arises from the conversations that we have with our clients. The way we conduct these conversations has a major impact on the outcome of our work. We aim to engage in skilled communications that result in constructive conversations that enable some progress in achieving what…
Priming for best results in Dispute Resolution
I have recently come across the notion of “priming” clients for dispute resolution. We all have our own style, our own way of approaching conflict and working with others to assist them to resolve their disputes. As we gain experience and confidence, we develop a set of strategies in our tool box, and an innate…
Dealing with difficult clients
Prologue Over the past year or so there have been numerous sessions regarding dealing with difficult people. I have attending presentations as part of ICL training, VLA training, and at the National Mediation and Family Law Conferences. Many of us have learned of the leading features of most of the personality types discussed particularly around…