12 Paradigm Shifts for High Conflict Mediation

presented by Bill Eddy

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

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

Non-Member Registration

About the Webinar

High conflict disputes are different from other conflicts. They often involve one or more individuals with a pattern of high-conflict behavior, and are characterized by all-or-nothing thinking, unmanaged emotions, extreme behavior, and preoccupation with blaming others. This webinar will explain some of the paradigm shifts necessary for dealing with high-conflict cases, to manage the process by bringing out the parties’ thinking skills rather than their reactive behavior, using a method called New Ways for Mediation®. In particular, this method helps the parties ask questions (instead of making demands), make their own agenda (with mediator assistance), make proposals and ask respectful questions about the other’s proposals (with mediator assistance), and make their final decisions (with mediator assistance). This approach structures the parties for success and keeps them focused on problem-solving solutions and away from venting, re-working the past, extreme demands, rigid positions, and other self-defeating behaviors. The skills for mediators in doing this are simple and less stressful than when using more traditional mediation skills. In this new method, the mediator serves primarily as a guide in the parties’ use of their own skills, and as a source of empathy and information throughout the process. Some or all of the tips and tools of this method can also be used with any mediation. This presentation will include PowerPoint slides and video clips.

About the Presenter

Bill Eddy

Bill Eddy is an attorney, therapist, mediator, and the Innovation Director of the High Conflict Institute. He has forty years’ experience as a family mediator. He currently provides training to professionals on the subject of managing high-conflict personalities and high conflict disputes. He has presented in over 35 states in the U.S., 7 provinces in Canada, and 12 other countries. He was on the adjunct faculty of the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law from 2009 through 2024.

Mr. Eddy is the author of several books, including: “Mediating High Conflict Disputes;” “BIFF for CoParent Communication;” “High Conflict People in Legal Disputes;” and “Splitting: Protecting Yourself While Divorcing Someone with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality Disorder.” He is the developer of the New Ways for Families® skills training method for potentially high conflict parents in separation and divorce cases, which is being used in over a dozen family court jurisdictions. He is the lead developer of the New Ways for Mediation® method. His blog on the PsychologyToday.com website has over 6 million views. He was the recipient of the APFM Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021.

Time and Place

Wednesday, June 18, 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

Only APFM members and paid attendees will receive an email with instructions on how to log into the webinar, to be held using the services of zoom.us. If you are uncertain about the status of your APFM membership, log into the APFM website to check it. Help logging in is available here: https://apfmnet.org/website-help/.

You may wish to download the Zoom client software for your computer, tablet or smartphone prior to the webinar: https://zoom.us/download. The software should work on most computers. APFM cannot provide technical support for software issues.

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Confirmed APFM members and paid registrants will be sent information on how to login to the webinar. Additional confirmed participants will be sent login information after registration and prior to the webinar. For webinar access questions, please contact [email protected]. Please note that it may not be possible to provide immediate assistance on the day of the webinar.