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Beyond Difficult Behavior: Seeing and Responding to Trauma in Family Law and Dependency Court Mediation
This is a live Zoom webinar.
Date: Friday, October 24, 2025
Time: 11-12:30 pm EST (10-11:30am CT, 9-10:30am MT, 8-9:30am PST)
Cost: $69
Description:
Every family entering a mediation or courtroom likely carries invisible trauma wounds that influence their thoughts, behaviors and decisions. This 90-minute workshop equips mediators and legal professionals with language tools for working with trauma in family and dependency court proceedings. Learn to recognize trauma, understand the connection between childhood experiences and adult functioning, and develop communication techniques that convey respect, kindness, and patience while maintaining professional boundaries. Discover how Florida’s trauma-responsive court initiative and similar programs nationwide seek to recognize the impact of trauma on families entering the legal system.
This conversation is led by Kathy Brown, a Family and Dependency Mediator, conflict resolution professional, and a Florida Supreme Court approved Assistant Family Mediation Trainer.
This workshop is for mediators, lawyers, and other family and dependency court professionals.
Takeaways:
- Understand how trauma and toxic stress disrupt brain development and creates lasting impacts on learning, behavior, and physical health
- Recognize trauma responses and behavior when they arise in mediations and court proceedings
- Understand what “hurts” versus what “helps” in interactions with traumatized individuals
- Learn and practice language tools and techniques to minimize retraumatization and reduce PTSD symptoms.
- Practice mindful techniques for emotional regulation during challenging mediations and court proceedings
- Develop strategies to prevent compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and burnout
Presenter:
Kathy Brown
Kathy Brown is a Florida Supreme Court certified County, Family, and Dependency Mediator, conflict resolution professional, and a Florida Supreme Court approved Assistant Family Mediation Trainer. As an active court-appointed mediator, Kathy has conducted hundreds of mediations in the 6th, 12th, 14th, and 17th Florida judicial circuits. As a conflict resolution professional, Kathy draws on more than 1,000 hours of experience leading conflict resolution groups where she guides participants through real-time communication challenges using proven language tools and techniques. She has co-presented for the Association for Conflict Resolution, the Florida Center Training Institute, and at the Department of Children and Families annual conference. Kathy’s decade-long background in journalism enhances her mediation practice, bringing well-honed listening skills, the ability to ask clarifying questions, and a commitment to neutrality and balanced perspectives. This diverse professional experience, combined with her training as an Aware Parenting consultant, gives her particular insight into family dynamics and communication patterns. Kathy also is a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.