2002 Family Section Conference

"The Many Faces of Family Mediation"

Marriott Riverfront

Savannah, Georgia

We invite you to join us for the first Association for Conflict Resolution Family Section Conference -- "The Many Faces of Family Mediation." The conference will offer an opportunity for family mediators to come together and discuss shared challenges and successes. Attendees will be able to choose from nearly 40 sessions focusing on the many faces of family mediation, including: divorce, custody, parent-child, never-married parents, dependency and child protection, stepparenting, non-traditional families, and custody evaluations. You will learn techniques and strategies for breaking impasse, working with high conflict families, the use of metaphors, the power of apology, and communication. Together we will grapple with ethics and experience training in the areas of diversity and domestic violence. There will be opportunities to observe master mediators in action and get expert advice from advanced practitioners. Whether you attend for professional development, personal interaction, or fun, you will be enlightened and engaged while enjoying the company of friends and colleagues in charming Savannah, Georgia!

Forums

Forum sessions are designed to be participatory discussion groups on a range of topics. Session presenters are designated facilitators who help guide the conversation and shape topic areas depending on the interests of those present. A forum session can have a very general focus or concentrate on one particular aspect of a current issue. The intent of a forum session, however, is to create a non-traditional structure to allow workshop sessions with high interaction and attendee participation, including an open discussion of ideas, questions, opinions, and concerns.

Three-Hour Trainings

Engage in a comprehensive half-day skill-building workshop. These trainings will provide participants an opportunity to discuss specific topical areas of importance to the family mediation area and learn new skills.

Keynote Presentation:

Co-authors of Children of Divorce, Caught in the Middle, and Through the Eyes of Children, Mitch Baris, Ph.D. and Carla Garrity, Ph.D. will deliver the Thursday opening plenary on "Working With High Conflict Parties: Broadening Your Base of Understanding for Devising More Precise and Effective Interventions." Focusing on their most recent book, Working With High Conflict Families of Divorce, Carla and Mitch will discuss a new conceptual model in the divorce field that they have defined with other legal and mental health professionals. They will explore how to think differently about high conflict situations, match intervention strategies to the unique dynamics of a conflict, and establish resolution tools for both the short-term and long-term in family and non-family conflicts.

Closing Event:

A panel of experienced mediators -- Michael Lang, Brigitte Bell, and Lynn Jacob -- present Mediators in Action: Reflecting on Our Experience. Together, the panel and attendees will consider whether mediators act instinctively, deliberately, or analytically. For example, when we are faced with a decision point in a mediation, an opportunity to move in one direction or another, how do we go about making that choice? What factors shape our strategies and interventions -- the issues at hand, our training and experience, or our beliefs, principles and theories? Please join us as we seek answers that will help us become more adept and capable mediators.