Mediating With Adult Families

An Online Workshop for Experienced Mediators

This workshop introduces experienced mediators to the field of adult family mediation, also known as elder mediation, in its many forms, including decision making about the well-being of senior family members and those who care for them; family owned business disputes; disputes about jointly-held property; and inheritance disputes. In this experiential workshop, we will explore:

  • The universe and unique aspects of adult family mediation 
  • “Normal” adult development and changes with aging 
  • The art of communicating with seniors 
  • Ageism, stereotyping and the ethical issues related to bias 
  • The adult family mediation process 
  • Participation of the aging adult in mediation – issues of capacity, elder abuse, representation and accommodation 
  • Mediator qualities – the role of mindfulness, understanding and compassion
  • Skills to manage family dynamics and conversations 
  • Ethical and legal issues unique to elder mediation
  • Resources for aging adults and their families
  • Mediating with multiple parties in litigated cases – family-owned business, trusts & estates, conservatorships and elder abuse
  • Mindfulness and self-reflection
  • Developing an adult family mediation practice
  • Special issues for adult families: grief, apology and forgiveness

Dana Curtis

DANA CURTIS is a pioneer and leader in the Bay Area alternative dispute resolution field. She was among the first attorneys in the country to devote her legal career exclusively to mediation of non-family law disputes, beginning her full-time practice in 1991. Since serving for 4 years as a Circuit Mediator with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Ms. Curtis has maintained a Sausalito-based practice. She has been acknowledged by the Daily Journal as a "Top- 50" California Neutral; by The Mediation Society of San Francisco for her Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Mediation; by The Academy of Distinguished Neutrals as a Diplomate Member; and by Who's Who Legal, California, 2018-2020, as a leading practitioner of Mediation.