Member Update: Advanced training seminar and General Assembly

Last month Consensus Collaboration Scotland organised a series of events hosted at The Law Society of Scotland’s premises in Edinburgh. Taking place over two days the primary focus was one of training where attendees able to gather insights, learn new skills and network with Collaborative practitioners from around the world.

Internationally recognised and well respected collaborative lawyer, Jacinta Gallant delivered her insightful and experimental approach to teaching and managing conflict to delegates.

Day one saw the seminar, ‘Deepening Without Drowning: Accessing Hope, Managing Threats & Breathing Fresh Air’ where delegates were able to learn how to ask about parties’ hopes and dive deeply into their perceived threats to bring a breath of fresh air to collaborative work – to combat those feelings of being stumped, and discouraged, by the continuing and sometimes escalating couple conflict.

Participants were able to learn:

• New ways of thinking about interpersonal conflict
• New skills to notice and intervene in conflict (early and often)
• How to help clients talk about what matters in ways that do not threaten.
• How to ask about hopes in a productive and meaningful way, and to work with the responses to help uncover threats
• How to stop talking about what we think the conflict is about - and to stop talking about what we think matters to the parties - but instead to be curious and ask good questions so we can find out from the parties themselves
• How to do all of this while facilitating a process leading to agreement!

Day two saw participants learning how to incorporate the innovative Our Family in Two Homes Resource Package into their practice. They learnt skills and approaches to help offer the resource package using the Workbook to clients. As well as the business side of things so that they can be innovative collaborative professionals offering highly valued service to clients, while building in cost-efficiencies.

Whilst the format of some of the activities had to adjusted to account for the UK Government’s guidelines on COVID-19, this two day event was well attended and a huge success. Culminating in the General Assembly for the European Network for Collaborative Practice (ENCP) it saw representation from the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) and delegates from USA, Canada, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, German, Hong Kong and of course Scotland.