Mediating Interpersonal Conflicts: Approaches to Peacemaking for Families, Schools, Workplaces, and Communities

Mark S. Umbreit

Aug 2006 · Wipf and Stock Publishers

About this eBook

Conflict is a normal and predictable part of life. How we respond to it, however, determines whether or not the conflict will be destructive. 'Mediating Interpersonal Conflicts' is an up-to-date presentation showing how the techniques of negotiation and mediation can be applied in resolving a wide range of conflicts in families, communities, schools, and workplaces. Dr. Umbreit not only clearly outlines the communication, negotiation, and mediation skills involved in effective resolution of interpersonal conflict, he moves the reader beyond the mechanics of mediation to what he calls "a journey of the heart" through a humanistic mediation model that addresses the emotional context of the conflict.

About the author

Mark Umbreit is the founding Director of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work. He also serves on the faculty of the Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee and on the faculty of the Center for Spirituality and Healing in the U. of Minn. Academic Health Center. He has served as a Fellow of the International Centre for Healing and the Law in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Dr. Umbreit is an internationally recognized practitioner and scholar with more than 35 years of experience as a mediator, trainer, researcher, and author of six books and numerous articles in the fields of restorative justice, mediation, and peacemaking. He has conducted training seminars and lectures throughout the world. As a practitioner, he specializes in facilitating dialogue between family survivors/victims of severe violence, primarily homicide, and the offender. He is the author of Facing Violence: The Path of Restorative Justice & Dialogue, which reports on the first multi-site study of victim/offender mediation and dialogue in crimes of severe violence.