Welcome to our site

portfolio image InsightMediations and Hands-On Tutoring offer a variety of services, tailor-made for your needs.

We support individuals or groups who are in a conflict and need help in resolving that conflict.

InsightMediations offers one-on-one personal tutoring to children. Subjects covered are math, language, culture, geometry, etc., as well as leadership development, social development, interpersonal skills, and conflict resolution skills for children.

Testimonials

For to free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Nelson Mandela

About us

portfolio image I am a South African Canadian. The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which handled the grievances incurred during the apartheid years, gave the world a powerful example of a positive way forward after conflict. We have a choice in how we handle conflict.

My background is varied. I have a Masters of Library Science (M.Lis) and a Masters in Montessori Education (M.Ed, AMI.) I have fifteen years experience as a classroom teacher and as a school principal of two Ottawa Montessori schools. I have successfully mediated between families, staff, and children.

I am coach in the coaching program of the CCER (Centre for Conflict Education and Research ) at Carleton University. The coaching program supports the skills development of student mediators and is a living research laboratory for the Centre.

I have a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.

The principles

  • careful and attentive listening by the mediator
  • providing an emotionally safe environment for talking
  • creating curiosity between parties
  • ensuring a respectful setting at all times
  • allowing time for learning about each other
  • being elicitive and supportive; not directive
  • allowing the parties to control the process
  • allowing parties to go at their own pace
  • fostering a learning environment
  • keeping positive and looking to the future
  • strict confidentiality

Philosophy

portfolio image No one likes to be in a conflict – whether at work or in our personal lives. Conflict causes an imbalance and makes us feel stressed, unhappy, and confused. We want it to end, but are not sure how to make this happen.

A new method of mediation, called the Insight Method, has been developed at the Centre for Conflict Education and Research (CCER) , located at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Insight Mediations recognizes that we are in conflict because something that really matters to us we believe is threatened in some way by the other person. We may not be aware of all the emotions and values at play in the conflict and why we are feeling so vulnerable, but it does not feel good.

Insight Mediations believes conflict offers a chance to learn more about who you are and what really matters to you. It offers an opportunity to learn about the party with whom you are in conflict. This in turn often leads to a more peaceful and workable relationship. The process of Insight Mediation offers the potential of a very satisfactory outcome to a conflict, as well as real opportunity for personal growth.

Insight Mediations uses double loop learning which means thinking creatively and “outside the box” for finding solutions and satisfactory outcomes.

Background of Insight Mediation

portfolio image Mediation is a growing field. Mediation is often chosen as an alternative to the costs and time that can potentially be involved when using legal avenues. The costs can be more than financial. Some parties find that relationships can suffer through taking a legal route. Individuals in conflict generally do not want to have the relationship with the other party destroyed. It can hurt and be counterproductive. A destroyed relationship may have negative effects that can carry on for years. But individuals may not be able to resolve the conflict themselves and feel hopeless or too stressed and angry to deal with the conflict in a calm manner.

Mediation has stepped in to fill that need. There are different kinds of mediators who work to different ends. Approaches vary. Some mediators deal only with conflicts that are based on an individual’s or group’s rights. Others deal with individuals’ interests and focus on problem-solving. Another approach is the transformative approach which as the name suggests, envisions personal growth and learning on the part of the parties.

“The goal of insight mediation is to help parties gain insights that will help shift the course of the conflict and create space for collective action.”

This involves the mediator looking for underlying threats, examining fears of “dire outcomes” , exploring expectations of one another’s behavior that each party may have. The mediator does this work by careful listening, attending to what is important to each of the parties, and by asking relevant questions.

Insight Mediations

portfolio image No one likes to be in a conflict – whether at work or in our personal lives. Conflict causes an imbalance and makes us feel stressed, unhappy, and confused. We want it to end, but are not sure how to make this happen.

A new method of mediation, called the Insight Method, has been developed at the Centre for Conflict Education and Research (CCER) , located at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Mediation sessions take place at my office, or at your workplace or home. I am centrally located near Island Park Drive, in Ottawa, Ontario.

After your initial enquiry:


Three hour mediation session $250.00
Follow up session $100.00

Family

portfolio image Family conflict can be the most stressful and painful. We do not like to be in conflict with loved ones or with relatives. Conflict between spouses, between children and parents, or between elderly parents causes us hurt. InsightMediations offers the opportunity of saying what really matters to each of you, and of hearing from the other side what is important to them. In InsightMediations, parties are able to talk and be heard in a way that has not been possible before. This talking and listening makes a big difference in a positive way.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Marie Curie

Business

portfolio image Workplace and business relationships are important. Individuals care about their professional reputation and about being seen as competent, reasonable, and hardworking. It is essential skill that one can work as part of a team, whatever the setting. Conflict disrupts that.

InsightMediations offers support in dealing with business and workplace conflicts, either between individuals or between groups. This route eliminates the resolution of disputes through the courts or administrative tribunals which can be costly, face significant delays, and take the means to resolve the dispute out of the hands of the parties. This can leave parties bitter, and relationships damaged. InsightMediations recognizes that the relationship is important as well as the content of the conflict.

Hands-On Tutoring

portfolio image Whether your child is in a Montessori school or not, he or she can benefit from the sensorial, experiential material that has made the Montessori name famous. The child or student is drawn to the beautiful material. Using the hand to explore and the eye to see, the mind is able to create abstract images and concepts of concrete ideas.
This is the strength of the Montessori philosophy.

Math and Language

portfolio image It is particularly effective if your child is struggling with math and language. Math as currently taught in schools can be abstract and disembodied and it is challenging for children to fully understand and comprehend what they are learning. Rather than learning abstract formulae by rote, which are easily forgotten, the Montessori math materials foster a deep comprehension of what is being presented and taught.

The same is true for language. The materials are attractive, and concepts are isolated. The child is able to focus on one concept at a time, but within that series of material, there is variety so the child does not become bored. Choice is a big part of the Montessori philosophy and exercising choice helps the child or student develop his or her will and concentration.

About us

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Contact us

Alison Goss | Tel: 613-355-7481 | 464 Mayfair Ave. Ottawa, ON K1Y 0K6