By Jennifer Links
Insight mediation and the insight approach to conflict emerged from research being done at Carleton University to better understand what was occurring between parties involved in mediation and what the mediator was doing to help the parties work through their conflict.
In 2002, Cheryl Picard, a professor in the Department of Law and Legal studies, articulated the insight approach to conflict and insight mediation as a view that sees individuals as connected to each other by cultures, traditions, religions, communities and relationships.
The insight approach addresses conflict from the stance that parties need to learn about themselves and the others involved in the conflict if the situation is to be resolved in a positive and lasting way.
Since that time, a decade of practice-to-theory and theory-to-practice has led to a theoretically articulated method of mediation and a broader understanding of conflict. Insight Mediation and the Insight Approach to Conflict are now core teachings within the Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution (GDCR) program.
The GDCR program is unique in Canada, offering the only program where students earn graduate level credits in a program which blends conflict theory and practical application. The Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution program is delivered in an executive style format to accommodate the busy lives of working professionals and attracts a variety of students from diverse backgrounds including; government, legal and health professions, and those hoping to transition into a new career.
At Carleton University, insight mediation has largely been practiced and researched in interpersonal and small group conflicts that have a relational rather than transactional component. Its application to international conflict has recently become the subject of study.
Researchers at Carleton and George Mason Universities are now studying how the insight approach can be used in the analysis and resolution of large group and organizational conflict.