Thursday, September 21st
8 a.m PST | 11 a.m EST
This presentation will NOT be recorded. Join us for the live presentation!
Our special guest this week, Dan Berstein, Mediator, will present on:
Overcoming Avoidance of Diversity Changes
in Dispute Resolution: Tools for Change
The Mental Health Safe Project's advocacy has led to major updates to dispute resolution guidance so practitioners do not inadvertently discriminate against people with mental illnesses and disabilities (ex. discriminatory screening, illegal inquiries, or disparate treatment). Yet even dispute resolvers can be conflict-averse, and achieving these updates was sometimes challenging when people were reticent to engage. This workshop reviews research about six types of avoidance - big-tenting, isolating, abnormalizing, stonewalling, evading, and distracting - and applies them to real case studies of positive changes. Learn a method of honoring the avoider's self-determination while providing objective reflections of their boundaries, as well as clear next steps to move forward and make important diversity changes that transcend resistance. Receive tools designed to help avoiders and advocates alike de-escalate and forge peaceful progress. You will also receive tools to become trauma-informed and bias-resistant in your regular practices.
Offered by Will Work For Food and moderated by Jeff Kichaven (www.JeffKichaven.com ) and Jean Lawler (www.LawlerADR.com)
This worldwide conversation will be like nothing else. Join in! Share, learn, have fun, and raise money for food banks.
Mr. Berstein invites you to support Feeding America
Register Here
Dan Berstein combines his professional expertise as a mediator, his academic background in mental health and public health, and his personal experience living with bipolar disorder to develop innovative online programs that use conflict resolution best practices to prevent discrimination. Through his company, MH Mediate, Dan has trained thousands of people to talk about mental health, address challenging behaviors, and resolve conflicts. Clients have included individuals, organizations, and government agencies at the city, state, and federal levels.
Dan is the co-founder of the Dispute Resolution in Mental Health Initiative at the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center, and leads their efforts to develop trauma-informed and bias-resistant resources. He holds a master’s degree in Mental Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, a bachelor’s degree from the Wharton School at the University Pennsylvania, and a mediation certification from the New York Peace Institute where he formerly sat on the Mediator Advisory Board. His book, Mental Health and Conflicts: A Handbook for Empowerment, was published by the American Bar Association in 2022. Through the Mental Health Safe Project, Dan advocates to help organizations notice, prevent, and address instances of inadvertent discrimination.