Speaking Truth to Power: Mediator’s Roles by Gary Friedman
As neutrals, most of us work pretty hard to keep our opinions out of the mix in helping parties reach agreements. As a matter of fact, in the Understanding Model, that is one of our agreements with...
View ArticleCutting to the Heart of Our Lives – CIRCLES by Gary Friedman
There is a wonderful new documentary that has just been finished that I find quite compelling for two reasons. First, it’s a film done by my son, Cassidy Friedman. I have always found anything he...
View ArticleBlame and Vulnerability on the Beach in Mexico — by Gary Friedman
Last week we completed our fifth SCPI program in Mar de Jade, Mexico, with the theme of blame and vulnerability. With participants from Europe, Canada and the US, Norman Fischer and I explored the...
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Inside Out
From Conflict to Compassion Photo courtesy of Joy Rosenthal. About halfway down Mexico’s Pacific coast, the small fishing village of Chacala sits tucked away along a small cove. Overlooking the ocean...
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Creating Inclusive Cultures around Gender Identity Through Understanding
unsplash-logoLeighann Blackwood When Dean Rebecca Ivanoff of the University of Oregon School of Law invited me to train 120 first-year law students on creating more inclusive cultures around gender...
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Real Talk with Lacey Wilson
Real Talk developed after the Center for Understanding in Conflict (CUC) spent years in conversation together about how to create safe, effective spaces to have dialogue about race and build...
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Coronavirus—What does it mean for us as conflict professionals?
Gary Friedman The coronavirus has invaded all of our lives. We don’t have a choice about that. We do have a choice about how we deal with it as conflict professionals. While we’re sheltering in...
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Endgame Questions and Issues
Katherine Miller Photo by Shirly Niv Marton on Unsplash The endgame can be one of the most challenging parts of the mediation process and preparations for the endgame should begin early on during the...
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CUC Solidarity Statement
At the Center for Understanding in Conflict, we unequivocally support and are in solidarity with our Black communities and all communities of color—in the USA and around the world. We say the names of...
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We Need to Talk About Race
The Real Talk team, who facilitates training on conversing about race at the Center for Understanding in Conflict, recently convened to reflect upon how this moment in history has catalyzed powerful...
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Book Review >> Mindful Of Race
Transforming Racism from the Inside Out Written by Ruth King Book review by Laurie Phuong Ertley “Racism is a heart disease—and it’s curable.” As an educator with more than 20 years of experience,...
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Dealing with External Forces
By Catherine Conner and Katherine Miller Clicked over from the newsletter? Click here to continue reading. Often, the parties in conflict are not the sole stakeholders in the dispute. External...
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Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict
Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict by Donna Hicks Book Review by Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton Dignity will be a welcome addition to the Center for Understanding in Conflict professionals’...
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Emotions
Randy Cheek, Catherine Conner, Laurie Phuong Ertley, and Gary Friedman When people are in conflict, emotions are inevitable. Yet, there is often a pull to “just get down to business”, with parties and...
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Book Review >> A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns
Submitted by Melanie Rowen As we work to understand others, our practices for interpersonal engagement evolve. We learn what feels respectful to others and try to meet that. In A Quick & Easy...
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The “Bully”
Watch our webinar on this subject by clicking here. It is a unique challenge for mediators and conflict resolution professionals to deal with the dynamic in the room when a “bully” is engaged in a...
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Board Profile >> Ivan Alter
Ivan Alter is a collaborative attorney and mediator with offices in Westchester County and New York City. Practicing law since 1994, Ivan previously had a career as a commercial and matrimonial...
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Parties Understanding Each Other
Clicking over from the newsletter? Click here to continue reading where you left off. The Understanding-based model of mediation fosters understanding for parties in conflict, of themselves, the...
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Board Profile >> Jennifer Sullivan
Jennifer Sullivan is a mediator, facilitator, and litigator who brings the power of understanding to her work. Jennifer’s background as a commercial litigator informs her focus on mediating civil and...
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Difficult Dynamics in Divisive Discussions
Dump trucks burn in front of Kenosha’s police station and courthouse during several days of unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in late August 2020. Photo by Michelle Marie-Warner, a...
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