About the Program

The Sonoma State University Conflict Resolution Certificate Program is an upper-division, multidisciplinary academic program which provides in-depth skills training in conflict resolution and alternative dispute resolution for people in a variety of work and community settings. Practical, highly experiential instruction is offered in diverse areas of practice.

The Certificate Program is designed to serve the needs of the conflict resolution practitioner as well as professionals and students in human resource management, law, business, education, counseling, health care, and public service.

Admissions Procedure
Students may take two courses in the program before making formal application. The Program Application may be downloaded from our website at www.sonoma.edu/exed (look under Apply/Enroll) or you may request one from Carol Tremmel, Program Coordinator at carol.tremmel@sonoma.edu Submit your application form along with a 200-word essay as described on the application form and include a $30 application fee. Students receive written notification of acceptance to the program.

Certificate of Completion
When you have completed all program requirements contact Carol Tremmel at carol.tremmel@sonoma.edu or call the Extended Education office at 707-664-2394 to request an Application for Certificate. After checking your transcript we will mail your certificate to the address listed on the form.

Career Information
The skills presented and practiced in the program provide participants with the fundamental tools, understanding and confidence to deal appropriately with conflict situations wherever they occur. Students in the program come from diverse career and community backgrounds--attorneys and paralegals, community youth workers, teachers, business managers, human resource managers, counselors, health care and criminal justice professionals, to name a few. Extensive career information is provided in the recommended first course, Survey of the Field of Practice in Conflict Resolution.

Courses are open to those not enrolled in the full Certificate Program.

Faculty
Certificate Program faculty are experienced practitioners in conflict resolution/alternative dispute resolution, drawn from a variety of professional backgrounds such as business, law, education, counseling, psychology and organization development. Faculty biographies can be found in the Faculty Web page.

Program Requirements & Electives
Eighteen program units are required to earn a Certificate of Completion (consisting of 12 units of core courses and 6 units of electives). All core courses must be taken for a letter grade. Electives may be taken on a credit/no credit basis. Written assignments are required in all courses. Courses without prerequisites may be taken at any time, regardless of whether a student has been admitted to the program. For the convenience of those with daytime responsibilities, courses are offered evenings and weekends.

Required Courses (12 units required)

Survey of the Field of Practice in Conflict Resolution (1 unit)
Communication Skills in Conflict Resolution (1 unit)
Negotiation I (2 units)
Mediation I (2 units)
Cross-Cultural Communication, Negotiation & Conflict Resolution (1 unit)
Group Facilitation (1 unit)
Historical & Theoretical Foundations of Conflict Resolution (2 units)
Independent Learning A: Research and Planning (1 unit)
Independent Learning B: Final Project (1 unit)

Electives (6 units required)
A selection of elective courses is offered each semester and covers a variety of subject areas. Previously offered courses include:

Family Mediation
Resolving Conflicts in Health Care
The Ethical Mediator
Elder Mediation
Family Mediation
Restorative Justice
Non-Violence: The Overlooked Alternative
Emotional Literacy for Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution and Peace
Gender and Conflict
Non-Violent Communication
Marketing and Managing Your Mediation Practice
Forgiveness: The Art of Letting Go
Mediating in Small Claims Court
The Spiritual Side of Resolving Conflict

Academic Credit and Grading

Frequently Asked Questions

How will the conflict resolution certificate help me in my career or community life?
The skills presented and practiced in the program provide the fundamental tools, understanding and confidence to deal appropriately with conflict situations wherever they occur. Students in the program come from diverse career and community backgrounds--attorneys and paralegals, community youth workers, teachers, business managers, human resource managers, counselors, health care professionals, police officers--to name a few.

Do I need to make formal application to the program?
Students may take two courses in the program before making formal application. Applications may be downloaded from the Extended Education website at www.sonoma.edu/exed or email Carol Tremmel
carol.tremmel@sonoma.edu to request the form.

How do I obtain my certificate?
Upon successful completion of the ten required courses and six electives, contact Extended Education at 707/664-2394 and request the Application for Certificate. After the Registrar confirms that requirements have been met, your certificate will be mailed to you.

Is financial assistance available?
Although the program is not eligible for Financial Aid at SSU, various bank loans specifically for adult continuing education are available. Visit the FAFSA website for contact information for these bank loans.

Do core courses need to be taken in a certain order?
Currently, students may begin the program at any point. However, Survey of the Field of Practice is recommended as a first course. Courses may be taken in any order, culminating in the Independent Learning A and B, which are open only to certificate students who have been accepted into the program and who have completed all other requirements.

If I have previously taken other courses on this topic, may I apply these toward the SSU certificate?
Requests for waiver of elective credits from coursework or training taken previously (up to 4 units) may be submitted to the Program Coordinator for consideration. After you have been formally accepted into the program, send complete course description, outline and proof of successful completion to Carol Tremmel, SSU Extended Education, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, CA 94928.

How long does it take to complete the program?
The program is designed to be completed within three to four semesters.

Student Resources

Financial Aid

Sonoma County Job Link offers online labor market information and links to jobsearch sites

Conflict Resolution Resources

North Bay Consensus Council
Mediate.com
American Arbitration Association (AAA)
PeaceNet
Justice Institute of British Columbia: Center for Conflict Resolution
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California
Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR)
The Peace and Justice Studies Association (PJSA)
CR Info
Restorative Resources

Related Programs

Extended Education Certificate Programs:
Paralegal Program
Human Resource Management
Management & Supervision

SSU Academic Departments
Business Administration
Education
Psychology
Liberal Arts Degree Completion Program

Course Descriptions
Survey of the Field of Practice in Conflict Resolution
(1 unit)
An overview of conflict resolution practice including: the diverse areas of direct application of conflict resolution methods; conflict resolution as a range of processes having to do with preventing, resolving and healing damage from destructive conflict; application of the approaches and values of conflict resolution by practitioners in many fields. Includes guest speakers discussing examples of how conflict resolution is applied in a variety of careers and community endeavors. Letter grade only.

Communication Skills in Conflict Resolution
(1 unit)
Develop communication and listening skills leading to productive interaction and competent management of disagreements. Active listening and non-defensive response, reflecting back, perception checks, neutralizing questions and common ground statements. The art of reframing, questions, body language, identifying boundaries and use of humor. Gender and cultural differences are addressed. Letter grade only.

Negotiation I
(2 units)
Develop equitable and durable dispute settlements through the process of collaborative negotiation: analyze types of conflicts and various approaches; distinguish between interests, issues and positions; focus on procedural, psychological and substantive satisfaction by all parties regarding the outcome. Letter grade only.

Mediation I
(2 units)
When negotiations stall, a trained neutral party can facilitate resolution among parties. Mediation concepts, skills and practice introduce the stages of mediation. Addresses differences among interests, issues and proposals; self-awareness and effective communication; fact finding and case assessment; creation of model agreements; development of lasting settlements. Prerequisite: Negotiation I. Letter grade only.

Cross-Cultural Communication, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
(1 unit)
Increase awareness of one's own cultural context; understand differences and how to honor and bridge them for satisfactory resolution of conflict. Practice cross-cultural approaches to negotiation and mediation. Letter grade only.

Group Facilitation
(1 unit)
Knowledge and skills related to facilitating a group's tasks focusing on collaborative decision making and conflict resolution in groups. Addresses the roles and qualities of the facilitator; observation, listening and questioning skills; facilitating group discussions; barriers to group effectiveness; dealing with disruptive behavior; balancing group and individual needs. Letter grade only.

Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Conflict Resolution
(2 units)
A study of conflict resolution within the broad social context; how historical and theoretical frameworks influence current views and practices. Theories of cooperation and competition; cultural, social and religious contexts; cross-cultural approaches and paradigms. Reading, discussion and written reflection. Letter grade only.

Independent Learning A: Research and Planning
(1 unit)
Working with a faculty mentor, students research and design a learning contract in order to pursue their particular interests within the field of conflict resolution. The contract may include formal training outside the program, independent research or study, experiential learning. Prerequisites: Survey of the Field of Practice in Conflict Resolution and formal acceptance into the Certificate Program. Letter grade or credit/no credit.

Independent Learning B: Final Project
(1 unit)
Working with a faculty mentor, students fulfill their learning contracts and share the results with their colleagues in the Certificate Program. Prerequisites: Successful completion of all core coursework and completion of Independent Learning A: Research and Planning.Letter grade or credit/no credit.

Faculty

Eileen Barker, J.D.
Eileen Barker is an attorney, professional commercial mediator and conflict resolution instructor. With over 20 years of experience in law and mediation, she mediates a wide range of commercial disputes including business, employment, probate and real estate matters. She is past president of Marin County Women Lawyers, a former board member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Northern California (CADRNC) and a member of the Marin County Bar Association ADR Section.

Margaret Dale, M.A., MFT
Margaret Dale is a mediator, management consultant and family therapist with 25 years of experience in both the community and private sector. She is a member of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR), the Northern California Mediation Association (NCMA), the Academy of Family Mediators (AFM) and the California Dispute Resolution Council. She specializes in elder mediation, mediator ethics, and conflict resolution in the health care system.

John Ford , M.A., MFT
John Ford works to support individuals and organizations approach conflict with greater clarity. In addition to serving as managing editor for Mediate.com since 2000, he is the immediate past president of the Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California. He continues to mediate workplace and health care disputes, teach at JFK University, and provide skill-based corporate training

Oscar Goodman, Ph.D.
Oscar Goodman is co-President of the Center for Social Redesign (CSR), a nonprofit consulting organization with a 21-year history. His academic career has included professorships in English and Comparative Literature, chairmanship of the Faculty Senate Grievance Committee for the State University of New York, and administrative positions as department chair, dean and provost. He is Professor Emeritus in Human Studies, Brooklyn College. He has taught the theory and practice of conflict resolution several times in Peace and Conflict Studies at U.C. Berkeley and the historical and theoretical foundations of conflict resolution in the certificate program at SSU.

Oscar has been a regular member of the Society for Professionals in Dispute Resolution for more than fifteen years and has conducted a limited private practice in conflict resolution as well as pro bono mediation and arbitration for the Bar Association in San Francisco, California Community Dispute Services, and California Lawyers for the Arts. Most recently he is mediation consultant and mediator to a national yearlong pilot project that is introducing mediation as an option in the Medicare complaint system. He is also co-consultant with Nancy Hanawi in developing and activating a complex collaborative problem-solving system at a college. His experience includes:

A broad-based background in literature
Experience in academic processes, principles and practices
Wide range of mediation and arbitration practice
Experience in organizational mediation
Experience in developing, using and teaching conflict resolution theory
Experience in writing, editing and the teaching of writing
Experience in mentoring

Nancy Hanawi, Ph.D.
Nancy Hanawi is co-President of the Center for Social Redesign (CSR), a nonprofit consulting organization with a 21-year history. She has been a professor of mathematics, a dean and a college president. In recent years her academic interests and experience have been in peace and conflict studies. She has taught at U.C. Berkeley for the past five years and developed a course there on gender and conflict. She is a consultant for organizations and has engaged in many conflict interventions.

Skip Robinson, Ph.D.
Skip Robinson has facilitated studies, designs and program implementations on grants from such foundations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the Vanguard Foundation, the Foundation for Social Innovation, the Meadows Foundation and the Tides Foundation. He maintains a consulting practice primarily for public jurisdictions, nonprofits, foundations and health care institutions on the subjects of integrative learning, human resources, health care and benefits, organization systems and collaborative conflict resolution.

At SSU he acted as a core faculty member in the development of the SSU Conflict Resolution Certificate Program and co-teaches courses in collaborative negotiation, mediation and cross-cultural negotiation and conflict resolution. He has also been involved with the SSU Psychology Department's Learning Community, the War & Peace lecture Series, and the Global Studies B.A. program. He teaches psychology and collaborative conflict resolution internationally with the Conflict Resolution, Research, and Resource Institute and National Center Associates.

He has been associated with CRI and NCS on projects in the U.S., Russia, Poland, and countries of Latin America, including Cuba, where he served as a 1994-95 project director and teacher. He has taught in high school, community college, university and graduate school. He has completed his Ph.D. in Psychology at the Saybrook Graduate School in San Francisco, with dissertation research focusing on improving the deign of outpatient managed care mental health systems.

Patricia Shanahan , J.D.
Pat Shanahan,MBA, works in health care as an ombudsman/mediator and also has a private practice providing conflict prevention/resolution, mediation, and training services to both the public and private sectors. She previously served as the senior manager for the design and development of the national Medicare Mediation Program. Pat is the immediate past President of the Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California (ADRNC), a chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) and serves on two advisory boards. Pat is an active volunteer in the field of conflict resolution, mediating family, community, small claims courts, and guardianship disputes.

William Shea, J.D.
William Shea is an attorney-mediator with 24 years of experience. He sits as a Small Claims judge and as an arbitrator for the Sonoma County Superior Court. He is a member of SPIDR, AFM and NCMA.

Jon Townsend, M.A.
Jon Townsend has worked in the field of conflict resolution, negotiation and peace-making for more than 26 years. Over the last twelve years he has worked throughout the United States, in twelve countries, and with more than fifty Native American Nations. He has trained approximately thirty thousand people. Jon is a member of SPIDR, the American Arbitration Association and the Oregon Mediation Association. He teaches mediation, negotiation and diversity at Sonoma State University and Humboldt State University in California. He has also taught at D.Q. University, the Russian-American School of Conflictology and Willamette Law School's Center for Dispute Resolution. Jon is a member of CWA-Am-Local 189 and proud member of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation.

Areas of practice include:

labor-management team negotiation and problem solving
group facilitation and public participation
election oversight consulting
dispute resolution system design consulting
impartial fact-finding
rapid response conflict resolution and hot spot dispute resolution
mediation principles and practice
advanced mediation
community and civic mediation
workplace mediation
victim-offender mediation
interest-based negotiation
intercultural communication and diversity
labor-management and team negotiation partnering
advanced interpersonal negotiation and conflict resolution