MEDIATION SEMINAR: DIVORCE WITH DIGNITY

A marital break-up can be one of life's most difficult experiences. Mediation offers an effective and humane way to negotiate the difficulties of separation and divorce with a minimum of tension, conflict, and damage to a family’s emotions and finances. This workshop explains how mediation works, what topics are covered, how to choose a mediator, and what to expect in terms of cost and time. Couples are encouraged to attend together.
Presenter: Donna Duquette

Date: Tuesday, September 7, 2010 7:00 – 8:45 pm

Location: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
401 Hungerford Dr
1st Floor
Rockville MD 20850

Contact: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
240-777-8300
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw

TAKING CARE OF THE CHILDREN: HELPING DIVORCING PARENTS NEGOTIATE PARENTING PLANS

Designing a parenting plan for separating and divorcing parents is a place where legal considerations and therapeutic considerations intersect. This interactive presentation for therapists will explain how therapists and mediators can work together with parents to help them design a parenting plan that promotes the health and well-being of the children.
Presenter: Donna Duquette

Date: Monday, September 13, 2010 9:00 – 12:00 noon

Location: Kolmac Clinic
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Contact: Laurie Young LCSW-C
301-537-6363
www.silverspringtherapists.com

A SOCIAL WORKER’S GUIDE TO DIVORCE MEDIATION

While divorce litigation often makes things worse by escalating family conflict and by imposing huge economic and emotional costs on the family, mediation can help couples to divorce with dignity, to focus on the real needs of their children, and to accomplish these tasks in a way that saves time and money. This presentation will inform social workers about the legal issues of separation and divorce and show how these issues can be thoughtfully addressed through mediation.
Presenters: John Spiegel and Donna Duquette

Date: Friday, September 24, 2010 9:30am – 12:30 pm

Location: The Fifth Annual Clinical Conference
The Maritime Institute
Linthicum MD

Contact: Maryland Chapter National Association of Social Workers
410-788-1066
www.nasw-md.org

SPECIAL NEEDS AND DIVORCE

In the best of times, children with learning disabilities, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorders deserve to have their special needs accurately understood and thoughtfully addressed. When these children are caught in the upheaval of their parents’ separation and divorce, the need for effective responses is even greater. The presenters will explain why mediation and other collaborative processes—and not litigation--should be the preferred divorce process for families with these special needs. Special attention will be given to developing effective parenting plans for children with special needs, using an approach similar to that used to develop individualized educational plans for children with special needs.
Presenters: John Spiegel and Judith Glasser

Date: Friday, October 8, 2010 8:30 – 11:30 am

Location: The Maryland Psychologists Association Annual Convention 2010
Annapolis MD

Contact: Maryland Psychologists Association
301-596-3999
www.marylandpsychology.org

DEALING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE

What makes difficult people difficult to deal with? In communicating with difficult people, what works? What doesn’t? How can conflict resolution skills be applied to solving problems with difficult people? Which communication skills are essential? All these questions will be addressed in this workshop, one of a series of conflict resolution programs presented for the CFW by John Spiegel, J.D., an experienced family mediator.
Presenter: John Spiegel, J.D., Family Mediator

Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2010 7:00 – 8:45 pm

Location: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
401 Hungerford Dr
1st Floor
Rockville, MD 20850

Contact: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
240-777-8300
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw

MEDIATION SEMINAR: DIVORCE WITH DIGNITY

A marital break-up can be one of life's most difficult experiences. Mediation offers an effective and humane way to negotiate the difficulties of separation and divorce with a minimum of tension, conflict, and damage to a family’s emotions and finances. This workshop explains how mediation works, what topics are covered, how to choose a mediator, and what to expect in terms of cost and time. Couples are encouraged to attend together.
Presenter: Donna Duquette, J.D., Family Mediator

Date: Wednesday, November 3, 2010 7:00 – 8:45 pm

Location: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
401 Hungerford Dr
1st Floor
Rockville, MD 20850

Contact: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
240-777-8300
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw

KEYNOTE SPEECH: RESOLVING CONFLICT

Presenter: John Spiegel

Date: Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Location: Mid-Atlantic Geriatric Care Managers Conference
Fairfax, VA 22033

Contact: Mid-Atlantic Professional Geriatric Care Managers
www.midatlanticgcm.org

ADHD AND DIVORCE: MINIMIZING THE HARM

Presenters: John Spiegel and Judith Glasser

Date: Friday, November 12, 2010 1:30 – 3:00 pm

Location: 22nd Annual CHADD International Conference on ADHD
Atlanta, GA

Contact: CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
www.chadd.org

A THERAPIST’S GUIDE TO DIVORCE MEDIATION

While divorce litigation often makes things worse by escalating family conflict and by imposing huge economic and emotional costs on the family, mediation can help couples to divorce with dignity, to focus on the real needs of their children, and to accomplish these tasks in a way that saves time and money. This presentation will inform therapists about the legal issues of separation and divorce and show how these issues can be thoughtfully addressed through mediation. Participants will also learn how to screen appropriate referrals to mediation and how to provide therapeutic support to couples and individuals as they go through the mediation process.
Presenters: Donna Duquette and John Spiegel

Date: Sunday, November 21, 2010 9:00am – 12:15 pm

Location: Association of Practicing Psychologists Continuing Education Program
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Silver Spring, MD

Contact: Association of Practicing Psychologists – Montgomery, Prince George’s Counties
www.apponline.org

USING CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES TO HAVE THE BEST FAMILY HOLIDAY EVER

What’s the magic ingredient for a wonderful family holiday celebration? Just the right turkey stuffing? A special chocolate dessert? Creative decorations? No, it’s good communication among relatives that makes a family gathering the heart-warming event that all of us yearn for. This workshop, led by an experienced family mediator, teaches participants a range of useful conflict resolution techniques and communications skills. Use these skills for your holidays (and afterwards too!).
Presenter: John Spiegel

Date: Tuesday, December 7, 2010 7:00 – 8:45 pm

Location: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
401 Hungerford Dr
1st Floor
Rockville, MD 20850

Contact: Montgomery County Commission for Women
Counseling and Career Center
240-777-8300
www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw

CREATING A THINKING ENVIRONMENT IN MEDIATION

An often unarticulated goal of mediation is to create a setting where people can do their best thinking, even during the emotional turmoil of conflict. This workshop will introduce mediators to the work of England-based author Nancy Kline, who provides systematic guidance on how to create a “Thinking Environment” in her book, Time to Think – Listening to Ignite the Human Mind. The presenters have collaborated with Kline in applying her powerful framework to mediation, as described in Kline’s new book, More Time to Think (2009).
Presenters: Donna Duquette and John Spiegel

Date: Friday, December 10, 2010

Location: Maryland Mediators Convention
Maryland Maritime Institute
Linthicum Heights, MD

Contact: MACRO
www.courts.state.md.us/macro