About the Practitioner
Ruth has developed a hybrid model for workplace conflicts which is a combination of a restorative intervention and a mediation. She calls this approach Restorative Mediation. This approach places the working relationship at the heart of what has transpired between the parties.
The process runs over two consecutive days with the individual sessions between the parties on the first day and the combined session on the second day.
The individual sessions provide an opportunity for the parties to share their respective version of events. Often these versions are overlaid with some facts, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, perceptions and assumptions.
Overnight the parties are asked to consider key questions which support them to self reflect and re-frame their respective experiences of their conflict with each other. They also understand at this point that these questions will form the structure of the combined session the second day.
The combined session on the second day has two components: a restorative intervention followed by a facilitated mediation.
The restorative intervention resets the emotional tone and the narrative of blame between the two parties. There is no opportunity for either party to blame each other during the combined session - instead the parties are asked to consider how they may have each contributed to the escalation of the conflict.
The facilitated mediation then enables the parties to problem-solve and negotiate agreed behaviours which they need from each other in order to move forward. This then translates into a mediation agreement or an MOU.
The premise underlying the Restorative Mediation model is that in order for the parties to genuinely move forward in their working relationship, they need to understand how they got there in the first place and to consider and acknowledge their respective roles in the co-creation of the conflict. Once this occurs, there is a 'clearer' space to negotiate how to move forward.
Ruth's first exposure to Restorative Justice was as a young activist lawyer in South Africa during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996.
As South Africans, she describes how they sat glued to the radio listening daily to the wounded memories of their shamed past and holding their breath that the restoration of justice would overcome the basic instinctual need for violent retribution.
Many years later, Ruth transitioned from working in the adversarial legal system to working restoratively in resolving workplace conflict.
The development of Ruth's unique Restorative Mediation process is the result of her combined experiences as a lawyer, a qualified psychotherapist and the 25 years she has spent as a human resources manager in both the private and not for profit sectors.
Organisation
- Registered Business
- Consultant
- Facilitator
- Founder
- Mediator
- Mentor coach
- Practitioner
- Advocacy
- ATSI health and well being
- Child and Family support services
- Coaching
- Community based mental health services
- Community Development/Education
- Consultancy
- Counselling
- Culture change
- Education - RTO
- Education - University
- Grief and loss
- Group based relationship education
- Leadership development
- Management and HR Training
- Management Training
- Policy development
- Program development
- Reflective practice
- Residential care
- Responding to sexual assault/harm
- Restorative Conferencing
- Restorative Practice meetings
- Rights of carers
- Rights of people with disabilities
- Rights of those experiencing mental ill health
- School - K-12
- Secure mental health services
- Sexual assault
- Support groups
- Team Building
- Therapeutic outdoor education
- Training
- Workplace Conferencing
- Workplace investigations
- Workplace Training