What is “trauma-informed” practice and why is it important in institutional abuse mediations (and one could argue, in the majority of mediation settings at large because a large portion of our population has experienced trauma during their lifetime)?
If, like me, you practice in the institutional abuse space – you have probably noticed the term “trauma-informed” being bandied about with increasing regularity in the last few years. You may have also noticed that many of the people that explicitly refer to it during the mediation process, seem to be oblivious to the harm that their negotiation tactics cause to [traumatised] people and in turn, their own case.
Core trauma-informed principles include: SAFETY, emotional as well as physical; TRUST, which requires honesty and transparency; and EMPOWERMENT, which requires a person to exercise their informed free will to make a choice.
Mediation is uniquely equipped to provide litigants with a framework where trauma informed principles can guide the discussion outside an otherwise adversarial system. However, embracing these principles in practice (rather than in name only) requires many of us to rethink how we engage with each other at the negotiation table – shifting away from the traditional “positional bargaining” model which relies on “wearing down” the other side through lengthy offer and counter-offer exchanges.
Over the next few days, I will be providing clear examples of what SAFETY, TRUST and EMPOWERMENT can look like in a mediation setting. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on these issues as we explore how to mediate better, together.
Happy Negotiating!
