Donald T. Saposnek
On Video:
Mediation Models Utilized by Expert Mediators
(2:12) Don Saposnek describes models that top mediation experts use, how they use all the categories of rational/analytic, educational, therapeutic, and evaluative.
Moments of Genius
(2:21) Saposnek details the moments when he feels the most effective and competent while mediating. He uses the basketball analogy of being 'in the zone' by strategic maneuvering.
Suggestions for Training: Internships a Must
(1:57) Don Saposnek discusses concerns with mediators not being sufficiently trained before becoming a practitioner. Internships with experts who serve as guides should supplement courses.
Suggestions to Novice Mediator: Use Scientific Method
(1:18) Don Saposnek advises newcomers on how to develop mediation skills: cycle of observing, hypothesizing, testing hypothesis, getting feedback.
Transcending Mediation Models
(1:46) Saposnek describes how the different mediation models seem to blend together for an experienced mediator.
Incompetence Troubling
(2:00) Saposnek explains he's troubled by the incompetence he has seen practiced by mediators and therapists in settling disputes. Would like more practitioners to research empirical evidence, helping them to be effective mediators.
Start of Mandatory Mediation in Custody Disputes
(2:18) Saposnek describes the shift that happened in Santa Cruz County regarding custody disputes. When mediated cases went through and did not re-enter the legal system, mandatory mediation became the norm for custody disputes.
Mediation Not a Separate Profession
(2:50) Saposnek discusses his view of mediation as a practice people do in addition to another professional practice such as the pracitce of law, instead of mediation as a cohesive, separate profession.
Therapy with Mediation
(2:46) Saposnek talks about integrating the practices of therapy and dispute resolution. More specifically, how his mental health experience and background have given him useful tools to help people resolve their disputes. Articles:From Don Saposnek Mediate.com has created a world-class website that has such value that I regularly send my clients, my students, and my friends to seek its collective wisdom. The extensive collection of articles written by such talented and respected professionals are cited and reprinted widely in the fields for use in mediations and trainings worldwide. Congratulations are especially due to Jim Melamed and John Helie for their vision in launching this site, and to the many staff and contributors, who, for so many years, sustained this creative and practical service for conflict resolution professionals and consumers alike. How Children Contribute To Custody Disputes (Part I) Children's limited comprehension of the meaning and implications for them of their parents' breakup creates terrible confusion and emotional upset and generates characteristic attempts to cope with the disruption. However, the limited means they have for expressing their needs makes it difficult for their parents to accurately recognize and address those needs. How Children Contribute To Custody Disputes (Part II) Children's limited comprehension of the meaning and implications for them of their parents' breakup creates terrible confusion and emotional upset and generates characteristic attempts to cope with the disruption. However, the limited means they have for expressing their needs makes it difficult for their parents to accurately recognize and address those needs. The Psychology Of Divorce In helping couples to successfully negotiate the ending of their marital relationship, it is vital for the divorce professional to understand the underlying dynamics of the family as a system and of the divorce process; the professional must grasp how the divorce crisis influences and is influenced by both family structure and family process. Children’s Reactions To The News Of Divorce: What They Need From You The discomfort of parents talking to children about their upcoming divorce is often exaggerated by worries about how the children will react. Parents frequently worry that their children will not be able to handle the news, will fall apart, will be sad or angry forever, or worse, will hate the parents for life. While children certainly do not generally take kindly to hearing that their parents are splitting up, they initially do respond in fairly typical ways that are in accord with their developmental stages. What Should We Tell the Children? Developing a Mutual Story of the Divorce One of the most typical questions asked of me by parents who are beginning the divorce process is, “What should we tell the children and how should we tell them?” Most parents, understandably, feel awful in having to tell their children about their pending divorce and how all their lives are going to be permanently changed. How Are The Children Of Divorce Doing? A recent Time magazine article asked “Does Divorce Hurt Kids?” and presented the conclusions from the two longest term studies of children of divorce. These two authors came to very different conclusions about the long-term effect of divorce on children. Which of these authors has an accurate handle on the effects of divorce on children? How Language Shapes our Thinking: Towards a “Parenting Plan” There certainly are many couples who still will fight through their divorces, and, wars around the world will still occur. However, this simple change in the language within family law has optimized the good will and cooperation of many separated and divorcing parents, thus assuring more protection of their children from inter-parental discord. And, thus, another major benefit of mediation over litigation is realized...the shift from war to peace. Family Section Editorial Winter 2001 Family Mediation has found a new home. The Academy of Family Mediators, which, for the past 20 years, has been the premier international professional organization for family mediators has, as of January, 2001, merged with the two other national organizations for alternative dispute resolution – SPIDR (Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution), and CREnet (Conflict Resolution Education Network). The new amalgam organization, called the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) is now the largest membership association in the conflict resolution field, and has as its mission, “...to promote peaceful, effective conflict resolution.” Family Section Editorial Fall 2000 I am delighted to serve as Editor for the Family Section of the MIRC collection of informative articles. Thank you for visiting this site. I hope that we provide you with useful information and ideas that you can immediately use in your life and work. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome. Products: |
Donald T. Saposnek, Ph.D., is a Clinical-Child Psychologist, who divides his professional time between child custody mediation, training and consulting, child and family therapy, and teaching in the Psychology Department of the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was the Editor of the Academy of Family Mediators’ Mediation News since 1993 and is currently the Editor of the Family Mediation News, the newsletter of the Family Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution. He is on the editorial boards of the Family Court Review and the Conflict Resolution Quarterly journals.
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