Small Claims


Course Date: September 30, 2005

Course Agenda ▼

DAY 1: Wednesday, October 30

  • Ethical and legal issues such as confidentiality, liability, conflicts of interest, Law Society requirements
  • Loss and grieving in family matters
  • Working in intense emotional climates
  • Power dynamics: gender issues, intimidation, hidden agendas
  • Skills component: reframing, working with denial and resistance

DAY 2: Thursday, October 31

  • Voice of the child: deepening of child-centered approaches to mediation; children’s responses to separation and factors contributing to their adjustment
  • Caucusing
  • Special issues for families: parents who have never had a relationship; children who refuse to visit; relocation and mobility
  • Co-mediation
  • Turning points in mediation: shifting perceptions and openness to change
  • Skills component: helping people come to psychological closure

DAY 3: Friday, November 1

  • Working with legal counsel
  • Formalizing and recording agreements
  • High-conflict personalities in mediation: understanding types of challenges and working with strategies to meet them
  • Apology and forgiveness
  • Skills component: tracking progress, maintaining momentum, and building agreements (procedural closure)