Services

Mediation

As a mediator and acting as a neutral facilitator, I assist opposing parties in mutually resolving disagreements. I work with individuals, HR and administrators to help them effectively handle workplace conflict.

The process is informal and flexible, and I use various techniques to open and improve dialogue and empathy between disputants, aiming to help the parties reach an agreement. I listen to everyone’s view, talking to the parties together and privately, and guiding them towards a resolution.

Mediation provides the opportunity for you to stand up for yourself while increasing your understanding of the other person. The process of mediation is very efficient because it focuses directly on the heart of the conflict, and is likely to enable you to achieve an outcome that you each genuinely feel good about. Participants focus on effectively communicating with each other as opposed to attacking each other.

The most common issues that can be resolved peacefully and satisfactorily through mediation include neighbor disputes, workplace disputes, eldercare issues, prenuptial agreements, divorce, parenting plan/custody, child support, and spousal support/alimony. Any issue that causes disagreement between two people can be addressed successfully through mediation.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world… The future depends on what we do in the present… As human beings, our greatness lies, not so much in being able to remake the world, as in being able to remake ourselves.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Facilitation

As an interviewer and facilitator, I perform client interviews, offer seminar support, work on problem solving, and offer strategies for settling disputes and managing decisions, in order to resolve conflicts, repair harm, and create major improvements in performance and the group’s ability to move forward in positive and productive ways.

Being “neutral” is very important. As an effective facilitator, I must know when to take a leadership role, and when to be neutral and sit back. Within that role, it is always important to guide the proceedings effectively and remain focused on the group process rather than specific opinions or outcomes.  

Facilitation produces an increased commitment from the whole team. The process of facilitation ensures that all opinions are heard. I create a process for collaborative harmony, where upsets are identified, and resolutions are thoroughly discussed where everyone is then willing to support and put into practice. I believe that the answers to problems and solutions lie within the collective intelligence of the team and in their sharing and working together, the group increases the probability of successful outcomes dramatically.

I also facilitate circles, a framework for building relationships addressing conflicts within a community. Circles have proven to be one of the most effective tools to assist individuals, students, groups of any kind, court systems, and businesses to navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace, promote inclusivity and justice, and the successful resolution of conflicts. Circles offer space for productive and authentic conversations, repairing harm, creating change, achieving consensus, transformation, and conscious governance.

Executive Coaching

I have a goal-oriented, hands-on coaching style. I bring to my work an insightful, thoughtful, straightforward, and genuine approach, and work to facilitate remarkable and lasting change in my clients. 

An executive coach is not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but someone who will help you to make improvements in your personal and/or professional life, by offering support and encouragement, while suggesting new ways to achieve your goals.

Coaching is effective for those in business who can say, “I want to get over there, but I’m not sure how to do it.” Over time, it is not unusual for those in leadership positions, to plateau in critical interpersonal and leadership skills. Even if they have had an outstanding track record, they may not have gained the full interpersonal proficiency required of managers. One of my favorite quotes is by Abraham Maslow: “What is necessary to change a person is to change her.his awareness of her/himself.” It is not enough to have a clear purpose or directives, you have to be open to feedback and be willing to create positive change. Coaching can provide that straightforward, immediate and useful feedback to help you on your way.

Many experts agree that coaching can be very effective during times of change. That includes promotions, new assignments, learning about issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, and other new challenges that may be coming at you all the time. Coaching can also play a role in energizing you and the system you are a part of, in developing “new ways to attack old problems,” says Vicky Gordon, CEO of the Gordon Group coaching practice in Chicago.

“When efforts to change yourself, your team, or your company have failed—you are frustrated or burned out—a coach can be the outside expert to help you get to the root cause and make fundamental changes.”

– Vicky Gordon, CEO of the Gordon Group