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…
Making 2017 Great
It was with a great sigh of relief that Christmas Day arrived and with it the summer holidays. The chaos, excitement and pressure of the festive season leaves in its wake the need for rest, revitalization and refocus for 2017. I enjoyed the change of pace, and routine. My favourite day was one when I…
The Odd Couple-more than just a blast from the past!
I was recently lucky enough to see the Melbourne Theatre Company production of The Odd Couple. This harkened back to when I was growing up and watching the TV series based on this play. The story is about best friends Oscar and Flex. They have a long term friendship that appears to be based on…
Insights from neuroscience for changing behaviour
Many of those involved in family disputes acknowledge the need for situations to be handled differently. This often requires those involved to act or react differently. Interventions to assist with such change, benefit from current knowledge acquired from neuroscience regarding the workings of the brain. This promotes an understanding of the impact of what is…
Conflict-what is it?
Conflict is a pervasive, inevitable and normal part of our lives. There are many resources available to assist in coping in this context, yet many do not appreciate the dynamic of conflict and their role within it. Each of us has our own personal reaction to conflict. Definition of Conflict There are many different definitions…