Exploring Narratives in Mediation

Exploring Narratives in Mediation
Saturday, September 13, 2025 | 10:00am–12:30pm ET | Zoom
Free for CMC volunteers | $40 for non-volunteers

This event has been approved for 2.5 hours General/Family CME.

Every conflict has a story — and how that story is told can shape the entire mediation process. In this interactive online workshop, we’ll explore how mediators can work skillfully with the narratives people bring to conflict: the roles they see themselves and others playing, the assumptions they hold, the meanings they attach to past events, and the visions they carry for the future.

We’ll dive into how conflict narratives are shaped by emotion, identity, memory, and power — and how they can be both limiting and transformative. Through discussion, demos, and practical tools, we’ll cover strategies to:

• Invite and listen deeply to each person’s story

• Identify patterns, perspectives, and underlying values

• Unpack assumptions and explore alternate interpretations

• Use timelines, visuals, and reflective questions to map and shift narratives

• Promote shared understanding and mutual responsibility

• Support parties in imagining new endings and next chapters

This workshop is great for mediators of all experience levels who want to build their skills in narrative-based mediation, deepen their curiosity, and support clients in seeing their story — and each other — in new ways.