Over the past year we have been learning more and more about the concept of Collaborative Mediation. For many years this idea has been espoused by Collaborative superstars Woody Mosten and Jacinta Gallant. Most recently we have presented an advanced training by Adam Cordover and Keith Grossman on the subject.
The basic concept is that many divorce clients seek mediation as a way to resolve their differences. And while mediation may be an excellent choice, sometimes more is needed. In Collaborative Mediation, the mediator puts together a Collaborative team and the mediator serves as the facilitator of the Process.
But where does this leave the mental health professional? Many MHPs feel that it is their role to facilitate the Process. IACP Standards describes certain roles of Collaborative Professionals and defines the “Coach” as a mental health professional whose function relates primarily to the emotional dynamics and communications between the clients. Interestingly the IACP Standards never mention the word or describe the function of facilitating the Process.
Join us this Friday at 4:30 Eastern for our weekly Happy Hour. This week we will have Jacinta Gallant, who teaches Insight Mediation, joining us to discuss this very question.
Join My Collaborative Team Happy Hour here: https://zoom.us/j/232372311
In collaborative, we talk about the professionals retaining control over the process, while clients make the decisions about their lives. Seems to me that no one professional “controls” the process – it’s a collaborative effort. Streamlined protocols prevent any one professional (or client!) from dominating the process – such protocols are extremely helpful, and allow all participants to know what’s next in a way that reduces anxiety and chaos – happy to share what I’ve got if anyone’s interested in these Streamlined Protocols (we use them for team mediations as well, and they’re easily adjusted when there’s just one coach, financial and attorney).