In conflict work, our intention is to foster understanding and build connections to the parties we are trying to support. Yet implicit biases–influenced by culture, life experiences, identity, and systems of power — can quietly shape how we listen, understand, and support people in conflict.

As conflict professionals we are in positions of power, and with power comes great responsibility. Within our work, the parties rely on us to support them during some of the most vulnerable and challenging moments of their lives. By examining how bias shows up in our practice, we can reduce harm and create the psychological safety necessary for mutual trust, understanding, and deepening authentic connections.

Through reflective and experiential exercises, we will explore how microaggressions and implicit bias emerge within our conflict work. We will examine the messages we have internalized, consider how they have shaped us and offer concrete strategies for addressing bias when it arises.

Facilitators

Hansa Patel is an attorney, mediator, and teacher.  As an attorney, Hansa zealously advocated for abused and neglected children or defended their parents’ rights in the San Francisco juvenile dependency court for fourteen years.  Hansa is passionate about serving the underprivileged community.  Feeling depleted by the court system, Hansa explored new ways to empower her clients to resolve conflict.  Mediation empowers Hansa’s clients to choose how they want to engage with conflict, co-create resolutions, and even transform a relationship.  In the USA, Canada, and Africa, Hansa teaches mediation, including integrating mindfulness skills into conflict resolution.  Hansa wants her clients to have the same tools she cultivates in her children:  a mindful approach to resolving challenges in life.

Marta Elena Esquilin is a social justice educator, higher education administrator, conflict professional, and organizational consultant. Her work spans across multiple sectors and environments including secondary schools, non-profit organizations, social service agencies, corporate settings, and higher education institutions around the United States. She received her Master’s Degree in 2003 from Teachers College, Columbia University, and in 2005, under the leadership of Dr. Derald Wing Sue, she was a co-author of the seminal article, “Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice”.  (American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286.)

*Legal Continuing Education:  The Center for Understanding in Conflict is an accredited provider of California Continuing Legal Education by the State Bar of California.  This webinar training is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys and will qualify for MCLE (CA) for Recognition and Elimination of Bias 1.0

Please note California MCLE credit is only available for the live webinar and not for recorded sessions.

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