Training on Transformative Mediation – March 2012 | European Association for Transformative Mediation

Transformative Mediation:
Ideological Foundations and Practice

13th – 16th of March 2012, Portorož, Slovenia
A Training By Joseph P. Folger Ph.D.
The Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation & Temple University

A four-day training entitled Transformative Mediation: Ideological Foundations and Practice was held in Portorož, Slovenia.

The Training was conducted by the founding father of transformative mediation and co-author of the book The Promise of Mediation: Responding to Conflict Through Empowerment and Recognition and The Promise of Mediation: The Transformative Approach to Conflict, which represents the ground literature work concerning transformative mediation, and honoured guest speaker at The First International Congress of Transformative Mediation in Ljubljana, Joseph P. Folger.

Training program provided an understanding of the core purpose and foundational principles of transformative practice. In addition to exploring the goals and effects of transformative intervention, this training provided practice with the core transformative intervention skills. Through lecture, discussion, video illustrations, and skill building exercises, this training program grounded participants in an approach to mediation practice that is rooted in the assumption that conflict is a crisis in human interaction.
Transformative mediation is an approach to conflict intervention that is used in a wide range of conflict intervention settings. It is based upon the view of conflict outlined in the book The Promise of Mediation by Robert A. Baruch Bush and Joseph P. Folger and it has been adopted in organizational, court, community and governmental settings. Transformative mediation has been used in family, neighbour, divorce, youth, multi-party disputes and has been adapted for conflict interventions that address team development and organizational disputes.

The training was intended for experienced mediators (possibly also using transformative approach already) and mediation trainers, but was open also for other participants.