We solve problems and make decisions everyday in our lives. Some problems and decisions are very mundane and insignificant, while others can be monumental and life changing. Solving problems and making good decisions is crucial in our lives. Our decisions and problem solving abilities are affected by a lot of factors that we encounter. Our position and situation in life along with time, and stress can play a large role in our outcomes. As a mediator and conflict coach, I have seen many client...

As a mediator, forgiveness is an important concept.  Many of times disputes will become grid locked until forgiveness is used by one of the parties.  Therefore I have a strong interest in the concept of forgiveness and how it works and develops within conflict situations. What I have found from my experience is that some people tend to have a natural inclination towards forgiveness. Why shapes that natural inclination can be factors like culture, gender, sex, family, economics to name a few. ...

Mediation is one of the most effective ways to resolve your disputes and conflicts. It can save parties a lot of money, energy and time.  However, many people have never been involved in mediation and do not know what to expect and therefore come unprepared to take advantage of all the mediation has to offer. From my experience as a mediator, the more prepared the parties are, the stronger the resolution will be. Preparing for mediation is not something that takes a lot of time and strat...

Perhaps you have been in this situation before: You are in a disagreement, or argument and neither you nor the other person seems close to coming to a resolution. It seems that your ideas, proposed solutions, and positions are miles apart. So you and the other party are frustrated, and forced to expend resources and energy to maintain the stalemate.  Perhaps what is keeping you from a solution lies in your own position of how the conflict should be resolved.

 For many, getting to a resolutio...

“Never judge a person until you have walked a mile in their moccasins.”

-          Native American proverb.

How much better would we be if we took the time to look at the world through the eyes of another?  How many arguments and conflicts would we have avoided in our lives if we just looked at life through another’s view point? Empathy is a great tool that can allow us to look at life through another’s per...

We all have heard the saying "actions speak louder then words," yet what is it that the action is saying to us? Do they tell us anything about another's motives, and intentions? Unfortunately observing another's actions alone does very little to tell us anything about the other's internal motives. Thus we are left to interpret the action within a context of our history, and relationship with that person. No matter how we...