Working with High Conflict Personalities: Insights and Strategies (Online) – 07 February 2025

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Learn how to recognise the signs you are working with high-conflict personalities and adapt your strategies effectively and appropriately. The course will give you a greater sense of control over situations, which such personalities may otherwise excessively influence.


Course overview

This course is recognised by the Law Society and Family Mediation Council and carries 4 CPD hours

High conflict personalities constitute a relatively small proportion of the people with whom professionals will encounter in their work (and their lives). They are not easily identifiable and indeed may present themselves reasonably and rationally, and may well achieve high status in professional occupations and in their lives.

Many solicitors and mediators will have the experience that some clients or parties in disputes create more stress, challenges and headaches than much of the rest of their caseload combined.

Certain personalities are marked by their intransigence, their rigidity on matters in issue, inability to agree or even find common ground, rational presentations that may be based on questionable premises, and the certainty of their beliefs. Expectations may be unrealistic, boundaries pushed. These and other manifestations reflect “high conflict personalities”.

Every lawyer and mediator will benefit from an understanding and strategies to deal with this demanding category of clients – for whom one’s usual approach and strategies are unlikely to be effective and may well be counter-productive.

Understanding: Fundamental to working effectively with high conflict personalities is an understanding of the psychological factors that underlie them and an ability to identify them. This is not by way of “diagnosis” but rather of having an appreciation of these factors so that strategies can be appropriate and effective.

Strategies: While a theoretical perspective is essential, it is not sufficient to enable professionals to deal in practice with high conflict personalities. This course will also provide a range of practical strategies for working with these personalities.

This course is designed specifically for lawyers working with clients in all fields of activity, and for mediators irrespective of the practice model they follow or the field in which they work.


Meet the trainers:

Elaine Richardson is an accredited mediator, PPC, collaborative lawyer, Resolution Trainer and John Cornwell Award winner.
View Elaine’s Bio

Nigel Clarke is a Family Arbitrator, Collaborative Family Solicitor & Accredited Family Mediator, a Resolution Trainer and Professional Practice Consultant and is currently training to be a Family Law Supervisor.
View Nigel’s Bio

Meet Our Faculty

Our trainers lead our courses, design course objectives and content and delivers it to delegates, supporting delegates in their learning every step of the way

View Our Trainers


Testimonials:
  • “Trainers were both excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and thought the trainers did a fantastic job”.
  • “The course was very good and useful to my mediation practice in particular”.
  • “The training content was very useful, I liked that it covered the topic from a range of angles”.

T&Cs and Cancellation Policy

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Any queries, please contact: training@resolution.org.uk


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  • HCP | ONLINE 2025-February | Member Price Price £144

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  • HCP | ONLINE 2025-February | Non-Member Price Price £180

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