Adaptable Conflict Resolution

Overview

As every individual has different needs when approaching conflict, an often intimidating prospect, and given the complexity and uniqueness of many conflicts, OSCR offers a variety of approaches that adapt around individual needs and circumstances. These approaches allow everyone involved to have significant influence over the process and complete control over any outcome, including whether or not a resolution is reached at all.

OSCR’s Adaptable Conflict Resolution pathways may be accessed for a variety of types of conflict, including roommate/housemate disputes, disagreements between members of a student organization, disagreements between organizations, some conflicts with faculty members, other types of interpersonal conflict, etc.

Tips for Selecting a Pathway

If you are interested in meeting with a conflict specialist to explore constructive ways to approach conflict on your own,
consider Conflict Coaching.

If you are interested in having a conversation with another person / group of people and need a facilitator to help it be constructive,
consider Facilitated Dialogue.

If you prefer to talk directly to mediators who will communicate your needs and opinions to someone else on your behalf,
consider Social Justice Mediation.

If you have specific ideas for things you’d like to see worked out, without having to deal with the other person involved,
consider Shuttle Negotiation.

If you’ve been impacted by someone’s actions and want to confront that person to understand what happened and why,
consider a Restorative Justice Circle.

If you have been involved with an alcohol or other drug-related incident and want to explore your AOD use and available resources,
consider ACR-for-AOD.

Conflict Coaching

A one-one-one meeting between a student and an OSCR professional to explore constructive approaches to engaging conflict and/or relationships within a specific context and/or in a broader sense. This can be useful when someone seeks to build skills and tools to more constructively approach conflict, and/or when other individuals involved in a conflict are not interested in accessing OSCR services, and/or when communication or cultural differences might be impacting a situation. Conflict Coaching can be helpful in a variety of circumstances, and might be particularly useful when thinking about how to approach a conflict with a professor or other individual without necessarily asking them to participate in OSCR services. 

Download a Conflict Coaching information sheet (pdf)

Facilitated Dialogue

When individuals or group members in conflict are interested in direct communication with each other, and feel that having a third party facilitate the conversation would be helpful, OSCR professionals can facilitate the dialogue. Facilitated Dialogues provide an opportunity to create a shared understanding of opinions, beliefs, and experiences. The focus of a Facilitated Dialogue is creating a safe space for all voices to be heard, and also potentially exploring how differences of opinion may be managed. Facilitated Dialogues can be helpful in a variety of circumstances, and is particularly useful in assisting groups of students, including student organizations, resolve intergroup or intragroup conflict. 

Download a Facilitated Dialogue information sheet (pdf)

Social Justice Mediation

When individuals in conflict would like an opportunity to share their stories and explore their desired outcomes with mediators in a private space, and indirectly (and/or directly) engage with others involved in the conflict using the assistance of mediators, they may choose Social Justice Mediation. In this process, each person in a conflict meets privately with a pair of multipartial mediators to talk about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences related to a conflict, including discussion of any issues related to social identity that inform the conflict. After everyone involved shares their stories and then learns how others feel about the situation, potential solutions are explored. Social Justice Mediation can be helpful in a variety of circumstances, and is often useful in resolving roommate disputes.

Download a Social Justice Mediation information sheet (pdf)

Restorative Justice Circle

When an individual or a community has been harmed, there are multiple ways to respond to the wrongdoing.  A Restorative Justice approach offers an opportunity for all individuals involved (including responsible, impacted, affected, and supporting parties) to come together to gain a shared understanding of what happened, how people were affected, and how the situation may be repaired and the community and/or individuals restored.  In a Restorative Justice Circle participants have complete control of the outcome, working together to develop an agreement that resolves the issues and restores the situation.

Download a Restorative Justice Circle information sheet (pdf)

ACR-for-AOD

The Adaptable Conflict Resolution for Alcohol and Other Drugs (ACR-for-AOD) program allows students to address alcohol or other drug-related (AOD) incidents, explore their AOD use, and learn about AOD-related educational and health-related programming in a safe, confidential setting.  Please note that this is an educational meeting, not a health care intervention. While all ACR-for-AOD meetings involve certain key elements, the exact content and outcomes of a student’s ACR-for-AOD program will depend upon the nature of the incident and the student’s specific needs. 

Download an ACR-for-AOD information sheet (pdf)

Shuttle Negotiation

When two or more people in conflict have no interest in engaging each other directly, and no interest in telling their story, yet have a specific idea of desired outcomes, they may choose Shuttle Negotiation.  In Shuttle Negotiation a facilitator assists parties in negotiating a documented agreement to reach a mutually agreeable resolution to the conflict. Shuttle Negotiation can be helpful in a variety of circumstances, particularly when people in a past relationship have no interest in a future relationship or discussing issues any further, but would like to work out an agreement regarding personal belongings, finances, etc.

Download a Shuttle Negotiation information sheet (pdf)