When Racism Shows up in the Mediation Room
I remember a conversation with a mediator who told me, quietly and almost apologetically, that they felt unprepared to manage conversations where racism sat just beneath the surface. They were confident with commercial disputes, workplace clashes, and even heavy family breakdowns. But when an intake
When “Helpful” Framing Does Harm: A Response to the High Conflict Institute on Autism and Conflict
I recently came across a blog post from The High Conflict Institute titled Autism Spectrum Disorder and High Conflict Personalities: Working with Cultural Differences. It is presented as practical guidance for conflict professionals working with autistic parties. It is well-intentioned. It is also, in significant
Reframing in Mediation: What We Are Really Doing, and Why We Name It
Most mediators are taught how to reframe. Fewer are taught how to explain reframing, and even fewer are encouraged to be transparent about why they do it. Reframing is often described to students as “restating something more neutrally”, “removing toxicity”, or “putting it in a
Should Pregnant Women Be Excluded from Mediation? Questions We Need to Ask
A colleague recently asked me whether I was familiar with any research on the risks associated with mediating with a heavily pregnant woman. The woman in question was in conflict with her ex-partner, the father of her unborn child, and my colleague wanted to know
Rejection Sensitivity and Conflict
In my work on neurodiversity and conflict, there are some interesting intersections that come up frequently. There’s one phenomenon I want to make sure you understand, because it comes up constantly in conflict situations. It’s called rejection sensitivity, or sometimes rejection sensitive dysphoria. We all
Navigating Multi-Party Mediation
If you’re new to mediation, you’ve probably mastered the basics of facilitating dialogue between two parties. But what happens when a third person enters the room? Whether it’s three colleagues in a workplace dispute, a supervisor and two team members, or any other multi-party configuration,