These days are full of turmoil and fast moving social and political issues that quickly escalate into “identity disputes.” In the words of my good friend and colleague Doug Thompson of the Consensus Building Institute: “We are all stressed up with no where to go.”

Halloween may not be as meaningful as other seasonal holidays, but for divorced or separated parents and their children, feelings of “missing out” on fun times can be very challenging.

A few months ago, I posted a quote on Twitter that a colleague sent me because she thought I’d like it. And I do. Here it is: The legendary cellist Pablo Casals was asked why he continued to practice at age 90. "Because I think I'm making progress" he replied.

Sean and Jason* have worked together for years. More often than not, they’ve worked at the same level in the company, though in recent years Sean has reported to Jason. It’s not unusual for them to have their differences, and the HR manager knows more than she would like to about their dynamic.

Mediation programs offer several advantages to any organization. They help staff members constructively solve problems, and they allow all parties in a conflict to air their grievances safely and work collaboratively toward resolution.

This article is aimed at clients working with collaborative practitioners, therapists, or counsel who need to document all their text message and email conversations for evidence or as reference (in the case of parent coordinators, for example), a summary of what to document, and how to document so that what they've captured is admissible in court, if required.