2026 Conference Workshops
The Collaborative Revolution: Integrating AI into Your Practice
This presentation by Brian Galbraith and Brad Hunter will move beyond treating AI as a mere tool to examine its potential to enhance efficiency and support the human elements of conflict resolution. It will explore the possibility of AI acting as an ethical, non-human team member. The session will focus on practical integration, exploring essential AI utilities for drafting, data synthesis, and client communication, while providing real-world examples and strategies to maximize efficiency without compromising the ethical standards and necessary empathy of collaborative work.
Child Inclusive Mediation
Rachel Birnbaum will share the growing body of social science literature from many countries that establishes the value of child participation in family dispute resolution for promoting children’s long-term welfare and facilitating parental dispute resolution. In Canada, only in British Columbia does the government fund child inclusive mediation for family disputes. In other provinces, child inclusive mediation is practiced by some private practitioners. The presenters will discuss their recent research on child inclusive mediation, and its implications for practice and policy.
Beyond the Surface: advances skills in relational dynamics and Trauma-Responsive Collaborative Practice
This advanced workshop led by Debbie Hoffman and Annette Katchaluba invites experienced collaborative professionals to deepen their capacity to read indicators and to recognize and respond to trauma history, activations, intimate partner violence and coercive control tactics. Professionals will learn how to be trauma-responsive with clients and with other members of the team. This training will continue to build the collaborative professional’s emotional intelligence helping to more easily recognize subtle relational dynamics that emerge when trauma histories or power imbalances underlie and shape client and professional behaviour (including our own) participant decision-making, and team interactions. It will introduce and use the Relational Dynamics Inventory (RDI) to identify subtle relational dynamics, deepen conversations with clients and assist professionals in process design when there is trauma history, activation, IPV/Power Imbalance or coercive control.
MAKING MEDIATION RELEVANT
Alex Howard and Amanda Silver believe connection is at the heart of everything they do— as podcasters, as mediators, as activists, and as advocates for a more compassionate divorce landscape. For so many, divorce is an isolating experience—one marked by shame, silence, and often significant financial strain. Dirty Laundry: The Divorce Podcast began as a way to break that isolation. We wanted to make information accessible to those who couldn’t otherwise afford it, to bring levity and humanity to a heavy topic, and to create community through honest, courageous storytelling. Through the pod, they challenged long-standing assumptions about what divorce “should” look like, dismantling the myth of the 'one-size-fits-all' separation, questioning the glorification of the “shark” lawyer, and highlighting scenarios where a simple kitchen-table mediation may be unsafe or inequitable. By sharing their own stories and imperfections, they model a more human approach to this work—one that has deeply informed their private practices. Finally, through The Launchpad, they are strengthening the mediation profession from within by creating a community where mediators can collaborate, share mentorship, and strive toward consistent excellence.
Beyond Bias: Practicing Cultural Humility in Mediation
Satinder Brar will explore how cultural humility—a lifelong process of self-reflection, curiosity, and openness—can transform the mediation experience. Rather than striving for static 'cultural competence,' cultural humility emphasizes connecting through process: meeting clients where they are, acknowledging our own biases, and co-creating a respectful, inclusive space for resolution. This approach strengthens trust and allows clients to feel heard, valued, and empowered, regardless of their cultural background or worldview. By the end of this interactive session, participants will be able to:
• Define cultural humility and distinguish it from cultural competence in the context of mediation.
• Understand how cultural humility enhances connection and trust throughout the mediation process.
• Identify implicit biases, power dynamics, and cultural assumptions that can affect client-mediator relationships.
• Apply culturally humble strategies to support equity, empathy, and inclusion during family mediation.
• Reflect on their own cultural identities and develop tools for ongoing self-awareness.
Participants will also have group discussions and learn practical tools to build trust and connection with clients through the mediation process.
The Sulha Framework: Integrating Islamic Peacemaking Principles into Modern FDR Practice
Ibrahim Hussain is an award-winning dispute resolution expert and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). With over a decade of experience, he has resolved 100+ complex disputes across commercial, family, and community sectors. As the founder of Sulha Solutions, he designs and oversees custom ADR frameworks, achieving a 75% settlement rate in multi-party mediations. Ibrahim is a Ministry-appointed mediator and arbitrator, serving on the rosters of the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program and the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society (TCAS). He is a certified pioneer in Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and a facilitator trained in restorative justice frameworks. His work is grounded in a deep understanding of cross-cultural conflict, and he is the author of "Sulha: 40 Narrations on Conciliation." Fluent in six languages, including Arabic, Urdu, and Punjabi, Ibrahim brings a unique, practical, and culturally-attuned perspective to the art of family peacemaking.
Cultural Bridges in Family Peacemaking: Integrating Dialogue, Identity & Connection in Process
Lara Traum, grounded in practice from Queens, New York - one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse communities in the United States - will lead this workshop which explores how identity, culture, and power shape family conflict and resolution. Using illustrations and interactive dialogue, participants will examine common elements that arise when mediating in multi-identity contexts such as immigrant family experiences, interfaith dynamics, language differences, and how cultural narratives can either hinder or support meaningful resolution. Designed for mediators, family law professionals, therapists, and conflict resolution practitioners, the session offers practical tools for building trust across difference and co-creating processes that feel legitimate and humane for all participants. Emphasizing outcomes beyond agreement alone (such as relational repair, cultural dignity, and psychological safety) this workshop will empower practitioners to build deeper, more durable bridges in family peacemaking.
INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN: EMBRACING NEURODIVERSITY IN FAMILY LAW ADR
Caroline Felstiner and Allana Boussey will explore how neurodivergence in parents and children can shape communication, decision-making, emotional regulation, sensory processing, and stress responses within family law processes. This session supports mediators, lawyers, and collaborative practitioners in recognizing neurodivergent traits and understanding how these differences influence negotiation, parenting discussions, and conflict resolution. Participants will learn how to thoughtfully adapt mediation and collaborative processes, expand IPV screening to account for neurodivergent behaviour patterns, and create supportive structures that allow neurodivergent clients to participate fully, safely, and effectively.
Drawing on research, case examples, and practical strategies, this workshop reframes neurodiversity as a critical consideration in inclusive dispute resolution rather than an exception to be managed. The presentation highlights preparation techniques, process adaptations, and goal-setting strategies that increase clarity, predictability, and accessibility for all participants. Emphasis is placed on distinguishing coercive control from behaviours rooted in self-regulation or safety-seeking, expanding circles of support, and fostering parenting plans that are realistic, respectful, and sustainable. The session concludes with opportunities for reflection, discussion, and shared learning among participants.
Mapping the Inner Table: Integrating Family Systems Principles into Collaborative Practice
In collaborative practice and mediation, professionals inevitably bring their own internal “parts” into the room — the Striver, the Caretaker, the Self-Critic, the Advocate. Cilvy Dupras and Jonathan Virtue explore how when these parts operate outside our awareness, they can subtly shape tone, empathy, and decision-making in ways we do not intend. This workshop introduces a practical, non-therapeutic application of Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help practitioners recognize and relate to these internal dynamics with clarity and steadiness.
Through brief experiential mapping and guided discussion, participants will learn how to “speak for” rather than “from” their parts in moments of tension, fostering greater curiosity, connection, and collaboration. We will explore ethical boundaries between self-awareness and therapy, highlight common professional patterns, and offer concrete strategies for maintaining self-leadership when emotions run high. This 90-minute session is designed to be engaging, accessible, and directly useful for anyone working in family law or mediation who wants to bring a more grounded presence to their practice.
The 5 Ways a Divorce Coach Can Revolutionize Your Practice
As family law and ADR evolve, so must the professionals within them. Divorce Coaching is the 21st-century advancement that bridges the gap between law, psychology, and conflict resolution. Jennifer Donison and Stacey Mendelson dive into this relatively new modality in family law, which has been used in athletics for decades, can improve outcomes for both clients and practitioners.
In this practical session, Jennifer Donison and Stacey Mendelson clarify the role of a Divorce Coach and clearly differentiate it from therapy, mediation, and legal representation. Participants will learn five practical, revenue-enhancing methods for integrating a Divorce Coach into a case to improve efficiency, increase the reliability of information or evidence, strengthen co-parenting stability, reduce professional burnout, and help clients reach resolution more cost-effectively and with greater confidence. They use real case examples to provide a deeper understanding of how a coach–lawyer partnership enhances client outcomes and promotes practice well-being across the entire dispute resolution spectrum.
From Valuation to Resolution: The CBV Communication Effect
The presentation by Matthew Krofchick will explore how effective communication by a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) with lawyers, mediators, and clients can meaningfully contribute to faster and more informed settlements. It will examine common valuation-related communication challenges that arise in disputes and how clear, timely, and neutral explanation of valuation issues can reduce misunderstanding, narrow areas of disagreement, and prevent unnecessary escalation. Particular attention will be given to how CBVs can translate complex financial concepts into practical insights that support informed decision-making throughout the collaborative and mediation processes.
The session will also highlight the benefits of having a CBV actively involved during mediation and settlement meetings, including real-time clarification of valuation assumptions, responsiveness to questions as they arise, and assistance in testing settlement scenarios. The presentation will conclude with a facilitated group discussion focused on managing client expectations around value, risk, and outcomes, and the role CBVs can play in supporting clients through that process. Participants will be encouraged to share experiences and strategies for effectively integrating CBVs into settlement discussions to enhance efficiency, transparency, and resolution
Building Wisdom Through Indigenous Dispute Resolution - GROWING WISDOM THROUGH LIVING PRACTICE
Presented by: Jim Doxtdator, Stephanie Morningstar and Lacey Lewis
Building Wisdom Through Indigenous Dispute Resolution is a 90-minute workshop led by Indigenous mediators and researchers Stephanie Morningstar, Jim Doxtdator, and Lacey Lewis. Grounded in nearly a decade of work with Indigenous communities in Southern Ontario, the session introduces “Wisdom Building,” a practice-based framework that integrates Core Competencies (knowledge) with a 5-day Practicum (practice) to support culturally informed, trauma-responsive, and justice-grounded family mediation. Through stories, reflection, and participatory demonstrations, participants explore how this model responds to key TRC Calls to Action and strengthens relational accountability, cultural humility, and embodied, community-honoring mediation practice.
From Conflict to Connection: High-Conflict Parenting Coaching with New Ways for Families
Presented by: Krista Konrad, Adam McKinley, Moderated by Jennifer Suzor
Description coming soon!