TAPM Newsletter

October 2024

Note from the TAPM Board

Dear TAPM Members,

As the leaves change and the air gets cooler, we’re reminded of the importance of change and growth in the work we do. Fall is the perfect time to reflect on how we can continue to bring peace and understanding into our communities.

We hope this season brings you warmth and a renewed sense of purpose in your conflict resolution work. Whether you’re a mediator, volunteer, or supporter, your efforts make a real difference, and we’re grateful for all you do.

“Do something wonderful. People may imitate it.” 

-Albert Schweitzer

How Have You Benefited from TAPM?

We need your help in our membership campaign to reach all Tennessee mediators. Your experience can inspire others to join TAPM.

Please share your answer to the question, “How have you benefited from your TAPM membership?” You can do this in one of the following ways:

1. Make a 30 to 60-second video and post it on LinkedIn, tagging TAPM.
2. Send us a 30 to 60-second video, and we'll share it on our social media.
3. Send us a 40–80 word statement, and we'll post it on our social media.

Let’s spread the good word to all Tennessee mediators! Email submissions to jen.comiskey@2mediate.org.

Thanks to Everyone Who Attended our September Speaker Series Event

We want to extend a thank you to everyone who attended Kimberly Best's recent presentation on emotional intelligence in mediation, which took place on September 9th. During the hour-long session, we explored the five key components of emotional intelligence and how they play a crucial role in the mediation process. Participants gained insights into navigating the wide range of emotions and behaviors that arise in mediation, including understanding and managing their own emotions. The presentation highlighted how emotional intelligence helps build trust, foster collaboration, and improve communication between parties. By strengthening these skills, mediators can more effectively manage conflicts, anticipate challenges, and guide parties toward mutually beneficial resolutions.

As part of the event, participants received an assessment tool to measure their own emotional intelligence, sparking important discussions and personal reflection. The recording is available on our website for members to access. Thank you again for your participation, and we look forward to seeing you at future events. 

Upcoming TAPM Events

TAPM Speaker Series Presents:

Inely Cesna

"Mediation and Psychology: Insights from the Enneagram

October 7, 2024 (11am-12pmCT/12pm-1pmET, online via Zoom)

At 11amCT/12pmET: In every conflict, participants bring a complex array of fears, insecurities, claims, goals, and interests to the table. A mediator who can discern and navigate these psychological dynamics significantly enhances their effectiveness throughout the mediation process, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successful resolution. This presentation introduces the Enneagram Model of Human Psychology, focusing on its nine distinct human psychological dynamics in conflict situations. We will explore how these patterns influence the attitudes, emotions, goals, and interests of both the mediator and the parties involved.



By leveraging the wisdom of the Enneagram, mediators can:

• Gain deeper self-awareness
• Cultivate genuine neutrality
• Recognize and mitigate personal biases
• Tailor their approach to each party’s psychological profile
• Humanize the mediation process

We will examine how this understanding can empower mediators to guide parties more effectively towards mutually satisfactory outcomes. This approach not only enhances the mediator’s toolkit but also fosters a more empathetic and insightful mediation environment.

This event will be followed at 12pmCT/1pmET by our regular TAPM Member Meeting. We hope you can join us for networking and fellowship!

This event has been approved for 1 hour general CME & CLE. Free to members, $20 for non-members.

TAPM Speaker Series Presents:

Dan Berstein

"Avoiding Labels and Enhancing Access to Justice: Rethinking Approaches to Trauma and Mental Health"

November 4, 2024 (11am-12pmCT/12pm-1pmET, online via Zoom)

At 11amCT/12pmET: Dan will discuss how individuals impacted by trauma and/or mental health challenges or disorders are often labeled as “toxic,” “difficult”, or “high conflict”, and how using such labels may result in implicit or even explicit discrimination. 

In addition to discussing how discrimination and bias manifests itself, Dan will provide resources and tools to foster access to justice, equality, and fairness in the court process, whether in litigation or court-annexed ADR.

This event will be followed at 12pmCT/1pmET by our regular TAPM Member Meeting. We hope you can join us for networking and fellowship!

This event has been approved for 1 hour of General/Family/Ethics CME and 1 hour of Dual CLE credit. Free to members, $20 for non-members.

Speaker Bio:

Dan is a mediator living with bipolar disorder who adapts conflict resolution best practices to help people have empowering mental health communication while preventing mental illness discrimination. His book, Mental Health and Conflicts: A Handbook for Empowerment, was published by the American Bar Association in 2022. During his presentation, Dan will share some tools designed to help court-connected mediators and other professionals become trauma-informed and bias-resistant. These resources come from BiasResistantCourts.org – a free platform produced in collaboration with the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center and made possible with funding from the AAA-ICDR Foundation. Attendees can also access Dan’s recent Journal of Dispute Resolution article, “Ending the Epidemic of Accidental Personality Disorder Discrimination by Well-Meaning Mediators” at https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/jdr/vol2024/iss1/5/. nuanced approach to dispute resolution and personal development.

TAPM Speaker Series Presents:

Clare Fowler

"Saving TIME? The Trauma-Informed Mediation Experience"

TUESDAY, December 3, 2024 (11am-12pmCT/12pm-1pmET, online via Zoom)

At 11amCT/12pmET: As mediators, it is imperative to understand how trauma has affected our clients – and ourselves. Trauma presents in various ways at the mediation table. Let’s look together at the signs of trauma and the behavioral changes in our clients. Being a trauma-informed mediator means that we make changes at the beginning of our process to help our clients stay engaged through difficult conversations. There are also changes that we can make ourselves to ensure that we can continue to move through hard conversations in the midst of our own trauma. We will finish by discussing specific ways that we can help our clients feel safe enough to continue to move through the conflict, even with trauma present.

This event will be followed at 12pmCT/1pmET by our regular TAPM Member Meeting. We hope you can join us for networking and fellowship!

This event has been approved for 1 hour of General/Family CME and 1 hour of General CLE credit. Free to members, $20 for non-members.

***Please Note: Our Speaker Series Events are normally on Mondays, but this month will take place on a TUESDAY.***

Speaker Bio: Dr. Clare Fowler

• Executive Vice-President of ODR.com
• International Woman of Peace Award, 2024
• Author of Rising Above Office Conflict: the light-hearted guide for the heavy-hearted employee

Dr. Clare Fowler received her Doctorate on designing dispute resolution systems for small businesses from Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education/ Organizational Leadership and her Master’s of Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law. Dr. Fowler also works as Managing Editor and with Caseload Manager at Mediate.com. She teaches at Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Department and University of Oregon. Clare mediates and trains, focusing on workplace disputes. Dr. Fowler’s dissertation was a phenomenological study of Workplace disputes. Her 2023 book, Rising Above Office Conflict, is a guidebook for HR directors dealing with high conflict behaviors.

For Further Reading

In honor of our September Speaker Series presentation on Emotional Intelligence and Mediation, we would like to share an insightful article by John Ford from Mediate.com about the neuroscience of empathy and its crucial role in conflict resolution. The article explores how empathy is hardwired into our brains and offers mediators practical tools to cultivate this essential skill. By enhancing empathy through genuine perception and deep imagination, mediators can build trust, improve communication, and address the underlying needs driving conflict, leading to more meaningful resolutions.

His article can be found here:

Community News

Community Mediation Center (Knoxville, TN) Seeks Executive Director

The Community Mediation Center (CMC) in Knoxville, TN is a 501c3, chartered in 1994. We provide volunteer court mediation services for courts in Knox County, restorative justice processes for juvenile and adult cases, divorce and post-divorce mediation for those in need, and non-court mediation for neighborhood and workplace disputes. CMC has an excellent mediation training program to develop volunteer mediators, and offers training to other non-profits including other CMCs, universities, and law schools.

Job Description: The Executive Director is generally responsible for handling the strategic implementation of the administration of CMC goals and objectives, working with board, staff, volunteers, stakeholders and referral sources, as well as attending to input from disputants using the service, as well as from members of the public.

• Providing overall leadership and development of leads to achieve funding goals and objectives (philanthropic grants, government contracts and grants, special events and individual donations).
• Managing the business goals of CMC including making sure employees and employment taxes are paid, bills are paid, grants and donations are accounted for; working with our bookkeeper/accounting firm to create informative and accurate financial reports.
• Overseeing robust data collection so that our successful outcomes can be reported and so we can see clearly areas we need to improve.
• Maintaining and periodically assessing professional liability coverage and other insurance needs. Maintaining staff professional credentials and permits as required.
• Ensuring periodic IT needs are met and that the website is given attention and maintenance as needed.
• Reporting regularly each month to the Board of Directors, both progress and problems.
• Meeting with the Board’s Executive Committee to help develop the schedule and agenda of the meetings as directed by the Board.
• Overseeing a robust training and continuing education program for volunteer mediators and others.
• Participating in staff development and training.
• Mentoring and problem-solving with staff and volunteers, identifying issues that need attention.
• Creating and nurturing connections with stakeholders and referral sources such as judges, court clerks, court workers, office holders from county, city and state, law enforcement, bar associations, and other nonprofit associations.
• Working with other Tennessee CMCs, as well as with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the ADR Commission with the goal of helping CMCs work together to provide excellent and sustainable volunteer and pro bono mediation services to Tennessee residents.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field is required. Juris Doctor degree and licensed to practice law is preferred.
• Certification/licensure/listing: Listing as a Rule 31 listed Mediator is preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in mediation and nonprofit management/fund development as well as at least three (3) years of experience managing teams, with a strong preference for experience in the nonprofit sector.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: CMC has been built on the foundation of its mission and core beliefs. CMC integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that it does. The staff, volunteers, and communities CMC serves have different lived-experiences, customs, abilities, and talents. CMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

Salary range is expected to be between $70,000 - $75,000 depending on the applicant’s level of experience and skill set. Learn more about us at https://2mediate.org  

Interested applicants should send a CV or resume along with a cover letter summarizing your qualifications to jobs@2mediate.org

Lipscomb Seeks Volunteer Coaches for Upcoming Rule 31 Training

Wanted: Rule 31 Training Coaches

When: Saturday, October 19, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Where: Lipscomb's Main Campus in Green Hills, Nashville

What to expect: You will be a volunteer coach for the final role play assignment (last day of training). There will be three mediation sessions, each lasting about an hour. Coaches will observe the mediator for each hour and give help when needed. At the end of each session coaches will give the mediator feedback on how they did. All material will be provided upon arrival. Lipscomb will provide reserved parking, a light breakfast, beverages and snacks, and a coaches appreciation lunch.

Contact: Elizabeth McMillan

Institute for Conflict Management Adjunct Professor & Rule 31 Coordinator

615.966.6155 

elizabeth.mcmillan@lipscomb.edu