This October 16-19, part of the Riverdale team will be keeping warm in sunny San Diego. Riverdale associates Elizabeth Hyde and Christine Kim are heading to California to present at the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) Annual Conference: Casting a Wider Net in the Ocean of Family Mediation.
On October 16, Elizabeth and Christine will be teaching one of the pre-conference institutes, “Screening for Power Imbalances and Family Violence.” Building on participants’ understanding and skills, this program fills a gap between mediation training and practice. Effective resolution of complex conflict requires a deeper understanding of risk, negotiation power and drivers of conflict. Using role plays, simulations, demonstrations and discussion, this program will challenge participants to rethink their practices and move to the next level as reflective mediators.
The next day, Elizabeth and Christine will lead a workshop on “The Cultural Competency Toolbox.” Meant for beginning mediators, this workshop will explore the questions: What skills and knowledge we do need to be Culturally Competent? What’s in our toolbox? The increased diversity of families involved in mediation requires mediators to examine how they are responding to the diverse needs of the families they serve. Although cultural sensitivity has been steadily emerging as a prominent framework for the past 20 years, less attention has focused on the complexity of working with culturally diverse families in the context of separation and divorce. For mediators, the ability to recognize cultural influences may facilitate a better process and outcome for all the parties involved. The session will focus on examining different cultural orientations, including those of the mediator, and how these influences may impact process, choice and design in mediation.
Besides presenting at two engaging sessions of their own, our associates are excited to attend the sessions of many of the top presenters in the field. Stay tuned for further blog posts about some of the other impressive sessions.
You can register for the APFM Conference online at www.apfmnet.org.
Click here for the conference brochure.
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