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Sep
16
Wed
Workshop with Dr. Gabor Maté – BC Collaborative Roster Society @ Robson Square: HSBC Hall
Sep 16 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Workshop with Dr. Gabor Maté - BC Collaborative Roster Society @ Robson Square: HSBC Hall | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada

The BC Collaborative Roster Society is excited to host a workshop with Dr. Gabor Maté on September 16, 2015, titled: “Promoting Resilience in Stressed Families: Understanding adult stress, childhood development, and how these impact the work we do.” Dr. Gabor Maté will lead an interactive workshop, introducing us to the latest research on the physiological effects of stress, stress recognition and stress prevention. This workshop is useful for collaborative practitioners, mediators, parenting coordinators, and all professionals working with families going through separation and divorce. For more information about Dr. Gabor Maté, go to his website: www.drgabormate.com

The workshop space is limited, cost is $367.50 (inclusive of GST), with a subsidized rate of $315 (inclusive of GST) for members of the BC Collaborative Roster Society $262.50 (inclusive of GST) for BC Collaborative Roster Society Members travelling from outside the lower mainland) as well as subsidized rates for members of the BC Parenting Coordinator’s Roster Society, the CBA and Mediate BC.

Feb
17
Wed
Presentation on Collaborative Family Law to CPA’s @ BDO Canada LLP
Feb 17 @ 11:30 am – 2:00 pm

Presentation on Collaborative Family Law to CPA’s as part of the CPA Institute lunch and learn series. (400-1632 Dickson Avenue).

Please let Simone Brunton know if you are interested in joining the presentation team. ([email protected]).

Apr
1
Fri
Stephen H. Sulmeyer, J.D., Ph.D. Workshop @ Peggy Gunn Woodland Hall
Apr 1 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Stephen H. Sulmeyer Workshop
Sponsored by Collaborative Divorce Vancouver Society
Monday, April 1, 2016
VanDusen Gardens
Peggy Gunn Woodland Hall
5241 Oak Street
Vancouver, British Columbia

9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (registration at 8:30 a.m.)

STEPHEN H. SULMEYER, J.D., Ph.D. Perhaps the most bedeviling problem in collaborative cases is what to do when the parties are at loggerheads—particularly when the impasse is laced with anger and reactivity. It might be about division of scarce resources, a disagreement about who should end up with the house, an inability to agree to the terms of a parenting plan or the specifics of support—the variations seem endless. Many of us have spent countless hours in team meetings trying to understand the causes of a given impasse, and to figure out what to do and who should do it. Most of us want to find some easy remedy, some tool or skill we can master that will allow us cut through impasses easily. Yet our experience tells us that, given the complexities of content and of personality styles in the range of cases we see, there is no silver bullet for dealing with impasse.

Although not a silver bullet, this workshop suggests that how we as professionals frame or hold the entire concept of “impasse” has a great deal to do with the “problem” impasses present. I.e., this workshop looks at the ways professionals can unwittingly contribute to impasse by framing it as a problem that has to be fixed, rather than an opportunity that beckons to be explored. By consciously or unconsciously, explicitly or implicitly, viewing an impasse as a “problem,” we subtly communicate a message to the parties that there is something wrong with them and the positions they are taking, the beliefs they are holding, and the feelings they are feeling. The parties may get the message that we as professionals are more interested in the ego-satisfaction of a successful conclusion than we are in sitting with them in the extreme discomfort of not knowing how a resolution of any kind will be reached.

Using a combination of discussion, exercises and role-plays, we will examine the feelings, assumptions and self-judgments that come up for us when we find ourselves in a case that is stalled. We will look at our discomfort and reluctance to sit with not-knowing, with helplessness, and with the attacks of our own inner critics in the face of our inability to quickly solve problems as they arise. We will explore alternative ways of framing and understanding impasse and of being with the uncomfortable feelings and thoughts just mentioned, which require us to sit in the fire of our discomfort without getting
burned. We will discover that, by tolerating not-knowing and by seeing through the games our own minds play on us, we can penetrate the wall of separation we have placed between ourselves and the parties. And, finally, we will experience some of the ways in which sitting undefendedly with our clients in the vulnerability of their fear and pain can lead to our deciphering the hidden meaning of the impasse at hand, which in turn can lead to new options and new possibilities for resolution.

stephen-bio

Click to download the PDF registration form.

Apr
23
Sat
Rebooting Our Collaborative Skills (2 day workshop in Victoria) @ U-Vic Faculty Club
Apr 23 – Apr 24 all-day

Rebooting Our Collaborative Skills: Creating Harmony & Cohesion In The Process And In Our Professional Teams

Presented by:
LINDA SOLOMON, LPC, LCDC, LMFT
Thursday, April 23rd (Evening) and Friday, April 24, 2016
U-Vic Faculty Club – 3800 Finnerty Road
Victoria, British Columbia

ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP
This workshop will explore one area of collaborative practice that is often “left for last”, ignored or forgotten: Working with other collaborative professionals. How do you maintain or create harmony while working in conflict and with different professions? How do you disagree without being disagreeable? Harmony is like “fair” – we think we know what it means and we work to create that for our clients.

This workshop will give you a different lens and approach to harmony. We will look at the usual suspects: trust, resistance and honesty, and move forward to a new awareness on how we can positively improve our practice, for the clients and the team.

ABOUT THIS PRESENTER
CFSP Workshop Flyer April 2015 LINDA-SOLOMONLINDA SOLOMON is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has been in private practice in Dallas, Texas for 30 years. Her work with individuals, couples and families has focused on relationship issues and addictive behaviors. She is actively involved in the collaborative team approach, working as a Neutral Mental Health Professional and was instrumental in the development of the role. She is also trained as a Mediator and a Parenting Coordinator.

Linda has presented training on coaching and collaborative practice nationally in locations such as Toronto, New York, Boston, Nova Scotia, Orlando, Minneapolis, Tampa, and Pittsburgh and
internationally in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. She has presented at annual IACP Forums in Washington, Boston, Atlanta, San Antonio, Toronto and Vancouver on such diverse topics as The Role of the Neutral Mental Health Professional, Balancing Neutrality in the Process and A Comparison of the One Coach and Two Coach Team Approach. Linda was also part of the 2013 IACP Institute introductory training team with Malcolm McCollam and Scott Clarke.

Click the PDF link for more information and registration: CFSP Workshop Flyer April 2015

May
27
Fri
Sue Goldswain and John Boland Workshop @ Peggy Gunn Woodland Hall
May 27 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Sue Goldswain and John Boland Workshop
Sponsored by Collaborative Divorce Vancouver Society
Friday, May 27, 2016
VanDusen Gardens
Peggy Gunn Woodland Hall
5241 Oak Street
Vancouver, British Columbia

9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (registration at 8:30 a.m.)
From Infatuation to Divorce: Understanding Stages and Unconscious Patterns in Relationships 

Ever wonder how the couple in your Collaborative meetings went from romantic love to so much conflict? During this workshop we will explore the predictable stages of relationship from infatuation to irreconcilable conflict and divorce. Using Imago Relationship Theory we will begin to make sense of this transition and illustrate the unconscious patterns at play that not only our clients go through but also ourselves. By normalizing both infatuation and relationship conflict we will bring clarity to the unconscious patterns all of us go through in long-term relationships. As professionals, by consciously understanding these patterns, we can develop more empathy for all of our clients and gain insights into our own reactions and projections. This workshop was presented at the IACP Forum in Vancouver last year.  In this workshop, participants will:

  • Gain insight into the stages of relationship and how these stages impact themselves and their clients
  • Begin to understand Imago Relationship Theory, and how to shift unconscious relationship interactions to more intentional interactions
  • Recognize that long-term relationship conflict has components that are rooted in the couple’s childhood experiences
  • Briefly examine their own relationship histories and hopefully gain new awareness into their relationship patterns
  • Have more empathy and understanding for the struggles of both their clients and their clients’ ex-partners
  • Come to understand the typical dynamics of couples, including how they often have similar yearnings but opposite defensive patterns
  • Be challenged to recognize that long term intimate relationships are where we have an opportunity to finally grow up and behave in more mature loving ways.

BIOS
John Boland has been a psychotherapist for over 35 years, who now specializies in relationship therapy and divorce coaching. Dr. Sue Goldswain is a registered psychologist who has been an individual and couples therapist for 30 years.

Both Sue and John are advanced clinicians in Imago Relationship Therapy, fully accredited with Imago International, and certified Imago Workshop Presenters. As a married couple they are committed to helping others explore their relationships patterns for increased connection and commitment, as well as using Imago theory and practice in their own partnership to deal with their inevitable challenges.

Click to download the PDF registration form.

Jun
16
Thu
Workshop: Starting the File Off on the Right Foot @ Hotel Eldorado
Jun 16 @ 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm

catherine-conner-divorce-lawyerCatherine Conner is coming to Kelowna to deliver a workshop titled Starting the File Off on the Right Foot.

Catherine Conner’s practice focuses on family law consensual dispute resolution, including mediation, collaborative practice and negotiated settlements.  She is a collaborative practice and mediation trainer with the Center for Understanding in Conflict. She authored Collaborative Family Law Practice Materials with Steven Neustadter and Margaret Anderson.  She was on the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals board of directors from 2008 through 2014 and was the President in 2013.

This workshop will be free for all members of the Okanagan Collaborative Family Law Group.

Details are as follows:

Hotel El Dorado
June 16th
1:00pm to 5:00pm workshop
5:00 to 6:00 cocktails and appetizers

Please RSVP to Simone Brunton ([email protected]).  We really hope everyone takes advantage of this great opportunity!

May
7
Mon
Navigating Dangerous Waters: From Survival Reactivity to Receptive Creativity @ Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
May 7 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Collaborative Roster Society Presents

Navigating Dangerous Waters: From Survival Reactivity to Receptive Creativity

with Michal Shaked and Michal Kaempfer

For Mediators, Family Law Lawyers and Collaborative Professionals

Danger automatically triggers survival mode reactions. Divorce, as one of the major traumatic life experiences, often triggers the client’s most primitive survival instincts. Moreover, through interaction with clients, the team members’ survival reaction may be triggered as well. In this interactive workshop, we will explore together the choices we make, and offer learning tools such as the “Johari Window”, self-reflection, the “BASIC PH” Model of Coping and Resiliency (Mooli Lahad) and the power of intentional thinking in order to create a strong vision for change.

Michal Kaempfer is a collaborative lawyer, mediator and trainer from Israel. She is the cofounder of the “Divorcing Peacefully” collaborative practice group (www.israeldivorce.co.il) established in 2009 and served as chairman of its managing committee for years. She served in the army in the Israeli Intelligence, was a legal adviser for Na’amat—a women’s rights organization and provided mediation services for the court system, including preliminary meetings for parties encouraging them to go through ADR process before continuing the legal process. She has taught basic and advanced mediation courses and has provided Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice training for the Israeli Bar Association and for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. She dedicates her private practice to peacemaking workshops, training and lectures.

Michal Shaked has her own law and mediation firm based in Haifa and Tel Aviv, and teaches family mediation and ADR in the faculty of law at Bar Ilan University. She is the vice-president of the Israeli Bar Association, and is chairman of the IBA’s ADR forum as well as the international forum. She is also co-founder of the “Nifradim” collaborative group (www.nifradim.co.il). She served as a legal adviser at women’s shelters and after years of litigation and negotiating high profile cases, has decided to focus on DR work, while mainly offering mediation and collaborative work. She was chief editor of the Haifa Bar Law Review and wrote a proposal for a bill to change one of the main laws to benefit victims of domestic violence.

Credits: 6 hours of CPD credits (approval from Law Society pending)

To register, please complete the attached PDF and return together with payment to:

Nikki Charlton
c/o Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP
2500- 700 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V7Y 1B3

or by email to: [email protected]

We accept cheques payable to the BC Collaborative Roster Society or e-transfer to [email protected]

Download the Registration PDF

Aug
12
Mon
Transforming Conflict Through Insight
Aug 12 – Aug 13 all-day

The fifth annual Summer Sessions for Collaborative Professionals is happening in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Fulfill your professional development needs and vacation on our beautiful Island! Check out PEI in Summer.

To register and learn more, go to http://www.jacintagallant.ca/summer-sessions.php 

LIKE us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PEIsummersessions/

 

TRANSFORMING CONFLICT THROUGH INSIGHT:  AN ADVANCED WORKSHOP FOR CONFLICT PROFESSIONALS

August 12-13, with Dr. Cheryl Picard

This 2-day advanced workshop is led by the founder of Insight Mediation, Dr. Cheryl Picard.  A unique opportunity for conflict practitioners who have already been introduced to theInsight Approach, this workshop will take your knowledge to a deeper level and help you more effectively apply the Insight Approach in your work. You will learn to more effectively intervene with conflicting parties, using a theoretically informed practice, enhancing their capacity and desire to understand one another through the generation of new insights and decisions that ultimately transform the conflict

COST: $600.00 (plus 15% HST)