Author Archives:

Why it’s a bad idea for mediators to give advice

Posted on January 23, 2012

Distinguished educator and mediator, Tammy Lenski, is celebrating the tenth anniversary of her blog, Conflict Zen.  As part of that celebration, she wants to highlight some of her favourite posts and articles over the years.  One that caught my eye … Continue reading →

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Canadian Same-Sex Marriages of Non-Residents May be in Doubt

Posted on January 12, 2012

In responding to a court application for divorce of a same-sex couple married in Canada, a federal government lawyer has taken the position: Non-resident couples who marry in Canada “must live in the country for at least a year before … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadiana, Family Law, Same-Sex | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Is Mediation Confidential in Ontario?

Posted on January 2, 2012

As Rick Weiler notes in a December 22 post on the Kluwer Mediation Blog, the issue of mediation confidentiality “arises before the Courts from time to time and we are fortunate to have the recent, well-reasoned decision of Madam Justice … Continue reading →

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Listening like a dog

Posted on December 28, 2011

In transformative mediation circles, we often speak of ‘listening like a cow’.  (See my two previous posts on this quality of attention here and here.)  In brief, this simile is referring to the type of listening that is non-judgemental while not … Continue reading →

Posted in transformative mediation | Tagged | 1 Comment

Varying Spousal Support Arrangements

Posted on December 22, 2011

The Supreme Court of Canada handed down two decisions yesterday that “ruled spousal support arrangements can only be changed if the spouse who is paying can establish a genuine, significant and unexpected change in circumstances“. Professor Nick Bala of Queen’s … Continue reading →

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Some Thoughts on Regret

Posted on December 2, 2011

Watch this 17 minute Tedtalks video of Kathryn Schulz talking about regret and why it’s not such a bad thing after all:

Posted in intellectual life, interconnectedness, Psychology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Polygamy, Serial Monogamy, and Support Arrangements

Posted on November 24, 2011

In the wake of Wednesday’s decision by the Supreme Court of British Columbia upholding the constitutionality of the Criminal Code’s ban on polygamy, the Globe and Mail today publishs an interesting commentary by McGill University law professor, Robert Leckey. Leckey points out … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Law, Parenting | Tagged , | 2 Comments

How to argue with teenagers? Know when to stop!

Posted on November 4, 2011

I’ve had occasion in the past to favourably cite psychologist Anthony E. Wolf, the parenting columnist at The Globe and Mail.  In this morning’s paper, he discusses what he calls the No. 1 day-to-day mistake parents of teens make: not withdrawing from … Continue reading →

Posted in adolescence, Parenting, Relational ideology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Transformative Mediators Establish Network in Quebec

Posted on October 31, 2011

John Peter Weldon is a Quebec-based Certified Transformative Mediator™, lawyer, and trainer for the Continuing Legal Education Service of the Quebec Bar (Le Barreau du Québec).  He recently announced the creation of the Réseau pour une approche transformative du conflit (Network … Continue reading →

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What it takes to be a Mediator?

Posted on October 26, 2011

Here’s a video taken from a June 2011 training by Certified Transformative Mediator™, Louise Phipps Senft of Baltimore, on the characteristics of a mediator: Baltimore Mediation: Louise Phipps Senft talks …, posted with vodpod

Posted in transformative mediation | Tagged | 1 Comment