Family Mediation in a War: Lessons from Ukrainian Mediators

presented by Michael Lang, Tetiana Bilyk, Hanna Bobnieva, Svitlana Myronenko, Oksana Melnychenko, Mariia Prokopchuk, and Olha Shmyndruk

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM Eastern (9:00 -10:30 AM Pacific)

Non-Member Registration

About the Webinar

Six Ukrainian family mediators will describe their work of providing a free online cross-border family mediation service for Ukrainian families whose members were affected by the war. As a result of the evacuation of a large number of Ukrainians, many families were separated, and the number of divorces and parental alienation increased. In cross-border family disputes affecting the interests of children, mediators take every possible means to encourage parents to find an agreed upon solution to the conflict.

The main difficulties faced in such crisis mediations are due to the vulnerability and sensitivity of the parties to the conflict, the rapid loss of control over anger, fearfulness and high levels of distrust, loss of concentration and a marked decrease in cognitive abilities and, as a result, increased helplessness. And, given the fact that prioritization, decision-making, and situational understanding take place in the frontal part of the brain, which turns off during stress, this makes the work of the mediator even more difficult.

To assist families during this period of war, the mediators have developed unique techniques and strategies. Their methods provide key lessons for mediators in non-war situations.

About the Presenter

Michael Lang

Michael Lang is a mediator with more than 30 years’ experience in the areas of family, workplace, organizational, congregational and public policy disputes. He is a prominent international leader in the field of conflict resolution.

He has consulted with and provided conflict management trainings to a range of businesses, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and university faculties. As well, he designed and helped implement a comprehensive workplace mediation program for the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

As an educator for the past 20 years, Michael has developed and presented mediation skills and practice training courses, for beginning and advanced students, for court systems, government agencies, mediation centers and professional associations. He has been a featured speaker at professional meetings throughout Canada and the U.S. and in the UK, Ireland and Trinidad and Tobago. He has held a number of academic positions in addition to being an active mediator.

Michael is the founding Director of the Master of Arts Program in Conflict Resolution at Antioch University; he served as Professor and Special Advisor for Program and Faculty Development in the Master of Science in Dispute Resolution Program at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC; and he co-founded and was a principal instructor in a certificate program in conflict resolution at the University of Southern Maine. Michael served as Editor-in-Chief of Mediation Quarterly (now Conflict Resolution Quarterly) from 1995-2001, and as a member of its editorial board from 1988-2007. Michael has authored numerous articles on mediation practice and is co-author of The Making of a Mediator: Developing Artistry in Practice, published in 2000 by Jossey Bass Publishers.

Time and Place

Tuesday, May 20, 2025
12:00 Noon – 1:30 PM Eastern (9:00-10:30 AM Pacific)

Cost

Free for APFM Members, $50 for Non-Members.

More Information about the Webinar

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