When parties in conflict shut down, attack, or dig in their heels, it is rarely an act of ill intent but rather it is a defensive response to perceived threat, loss of autonomy, or unacknowledged needs. Traditional approaches often attempt to bypass or override this resistance, but the Understanding-Based Model offers a more transformative path: going through it.

In this 60-minute webinar, conflict professionals will learn how to identify subtle, non-verbal, and verbal indicators of self-protection and turn those moments into breakthroughs. Grounded in the principle that the parties closest to the conflict are best equipped to resolve it, this session focuses on using active self-awareness and core understanding-based tools to address resistance at its root. Presenters Alison Beck, Kathy Campbell and Stephanie Tobosa-Smit will cover noticing defensiveness, tools for working through resistance, and demonstrate practical applications.

Key Takeaways & Learning Objectives:

• Spot Hidden Defenses: Learn to recognize early indicators of defensiveness.
• Allow and Lean Into Tension: Shift from reflexively managing or suppressing tension to holding space for it, allowing underlying concerns to surface naturally.
• Use the Loop of Understanding: Use looping specifically targeted at reflecting defensive emotions and underlying values.
• Protect Party Autonomy: Refuse the urge to coerce or force agreement, help parties regain agency and take genuine ownership of both process and outcome.

Your Training Team:

Alison Beck is a mediator, coach, and collaborative attorney. In her private practice, Resolve Forward, she helps families and individuals navigate transitions and resolve conflict through cooperative out-of-court processes. Alison’s approach is guided by the belief that when parties are informed and empowered to make their own choices, solutions are lasting and emotional and financial health is preserved.

Alison has extensive training in mediation and collaborative law including foundational and advanced courses with The Center for Understanding in Conflict and Mosten Mediation Training. Through her work designing trainings and continuing education for mediators and conflict professionals, Alison has spent hundreds of hours in courses and groups with conflict professionals from all over the world discussing common challenges, tools, and approaches to resolving conflict. She is a graduate of the Center for Understanding in Conflict Teacher Training Program and is certified to teach programs in the Empathetic Workplace method. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and serving clients throughout California, Alison is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (J.D.) and the University of California, Los Angeles (B.A.).

Kathy Campbell has been a practicing family law attorney since 2002 and helps tailor outcomes to each families’ unique needs. As a Certified Family Law Specialist who stays out of courtrooms, she uses Understanding-Based Mediation and Powerful Non-Defensive Communication to help Bay Area families through their divorce. Kathy is drawn to work with LGBTQI+ families, especially when gender-related conflict is part of the conversation.

Kathy served as Collaborative Practice California President from 2023-2024. She has also served on the Boards of the San Mateo and Santa Clara County Collaborative Practice groups. She completed the International Academy of Collaborative Professional’s 2021-2022 Leadership Academy. She frequently presents at family law conferences and started a collaborative practice mentor group to help other professionals develop their conflict resolution skills. Recently she taught her first conflict-resolution class to high school students and expects to continue sharing at other Bay Area high schools.

Stephanie Tobosa-Smit is an immigration attorney and mediator who brings a thoughtful, human-centered approach to helping people navigate complex disputes through dialogue, empathy, and self-determination. Her hands-on experience spans community and court-annexed mediation, including serving on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s ADR Panel since 2024 and conducting weekly small claims mediations with The Congress of Neutrals from 2023 to 2024.

Grounded in the Understanding-Based model, Stephanie trained with the Center for Understanding in Conflict (CUC), beginning with their core 40-hour Conflict Resolution training in 2022. In 2024, she completed CUC’s 9-month Mediation Teacher Training, joining a dedicated community of educators passing on the principles of understanding-based conflict resolution.

*Financial support and group discounts may be available for training fees. Please contact us at [email protected] for details or for any questions regarding logistics. Individual request for financial support may be submitted here: https://forms.gle/Kfh4qyhjzVGejDYS8