The Existentialist Mediator

June 27, 2016 by · Leave a Comment

I was reading Sarah Blakewell’s At The Existentialist Cafe on the weekend. It’s an engaging window on the key proponents of modern existentialism; Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Marting Heidegger… and others. Blakewell’s book weaves biography and thought, and “takes us to the heart of a philosophy about life that also changed lives, and […]

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Reflecting on my experiences in the BC Court Mediation Program

May 11, 2016 by · 1 Comment

Between 2002 and 2015, I worked as a court-based mediator, usually a couple of days a month, in the BC Court Mediation Program (CMP). The program was administered by Mediate BC and funded by the province of British Columbia.  As per this recent Mediate BC tweet, the CMP is closing its’ doors. (In the picture are Lee Turnbull, […]

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Sexual Consent, Serving Tea and Learning Through Metaphor

May 27, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

Sexual consent speaks to how we treat each other. When we choose consent, as our way, we choose constructive, relationship-oriented behaviour. We choose a collaborative way. How do we know if sex is consensual? Using ‘serving tea’ as a metaphor for sexual consent, this 3-minute animation by Blue Seat Studios (building on the work of blogger Rockstar […]

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Facing The Conflict Monster

November 17, 2014 by · Leave a Comment

“Knowing I’m a weak person, my mom advised me that whenever I felt scared or fearful, that’s exactly the right moment to jump in head first to face the monster by looking him in the eye. And I’ve found that when I get that close to the “monster”, I stop being afraid because I lose […]

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Listener as Storyteller

October 15, 2014 by · 2 Comments

It’s Conflict Resolution Week, here in BC.  The theme is #LetsTalkItOut.  Before we talk, though, better to listen.  Right? And with being a really good listener, one understands the others’ story. We become a storyteller, too. Why listen? A large chunk of what we communicate between us is unsaid. This fact tends to get magnified […]

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