by Ginny Sassaman, M.S.
Last night, in the middle of a community “movie night” viewing of High Fidelity, I watched Ian (Tim Robbins) approach Rob (John Cusack). At that point in the movie, Rob’s former and possibly future girlfriend has moved in with Ian. The two men are definitely in conflict. Then, unexpectedly, Ian announces […]

by Amy Beth Kessinger, M.S. 
I realized early on in mediation training that I needed to examine the ways in which my language limits my effectiveness as a conflict intervener. I may understand the function of an open-ended question, or summary, or even a reframe, but how can I apply my understanding to useful ends […]

by Amy Beth Kessinger, M.S.
Last week, I facilitated a mother/daughter mediation. I’ve been working with this family in another professional capacity for four years and simply put, they trust me; so it made sense to mediate when the mom approached me about a very serious dispute between her and her daughter.
Yet, my book-learning brain […]

by Amy Beth Kessinger, M.S.
While language certainly matters to mediators, I have discovered that voice is what the parties actually hear. After my first few months in mediation training, I grew to really understand that my voice is not simply the sentences that slip out of my mouth: it is the space I inhabit […]

by Ginny Sassaman, M.S.
My house is much quieter than a week ago, when my husband Bob and I hosted 17 guests for Thanksiving — family and honorary family members flying and driving great distances for a holiday reunion. The first to arrive was also the oldest, my 92 year-old father-in-law. The youngest came from […]

by Ginny Sassaman, M.S.Yesterday, I was “Babe,” a woman with five children, limited income, and high aspirations. As Babe, what I wanted most dearly was to elevate myself and my children culturally — to go to the theater, a symphony or an art exhibit. Thanks to my husband’s (”Buddy”) inability to understand my […]

by Kristin Novotny, Ph.D.
Call me crazy, but I decided to teach a group of 3rd graders, my 8 year-old son included, about conflict. Since I am political science professor by trade and a mediator in training, I was reasonably sure that I could connect with young kids around the idea of conflict. I […]

by Kathleen Moore, M.S.
As a student of mediation, I had a notion that I had to quickly become the perfect person I never was.
Just as medical students become intensely focused on their physical well-being (and begin to suspect that they may have a hitherto undiagnosed disease), I realized I’d become similarly self-conscious about my communications […]

by Ginny Sassaman, M.S.
Little did my husband suspect when I headed off to start the Masters in Mediation and Applied Conflict Studies program that he, too, was about to get educated in interpersonal conflict theory — and application.
Certainly my adult children living in other parts of the country had no clue that mom’s new pursuit […]