What's Happening in the Room? Integrating Trauma-Informed Practices into Family Mediation

Divorce represents one of life's most profound disruptions, affecting not just legal status but fundamental issues of identity, belonging, and security. This session explores how understanding trauma responses enhances mediator effectiveness, builds necessary trust, and facilitates meaningful resolution in family disputes. Through interactive lecture and group problem-solving exercises, participants will learn to recognize diverse trauma responses, understand how emotions function as essential data in mediation, and develop strategies for addressing our clients' most vulnerable moments. This is not about being therapists—it's about enhancing our mediation skills to navigate the emotional and layered landscape of family dissolution. JAMS neutral Genesis Fisher, Esq. will be the featured speaker on this CLE program as part of the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation’s annual conference.

Key Takeaways

• Trauma-informed practices are essential for effective mediation. Understanding trauma responses enables mediators to build the trust necessary for successful resolution, challenge parties appropriately without re-traumatizing them, and facilitate creative problem-solving that addresses parties' actual needs.
• Psychological safety is crucial in family mediation and requires continuous monitoring throughout the mediation process.
• Emotions are data, not obstacles. Recognizing and working with the emotional landscape of divorce provides essential information about parties' positions, priorities, and potential pathways to resolution.