Advocates For Process

03/05/2017

We are so excited to support the FRIENDS Who Stutter Workshop 2017.

Join this event on April 1, a day when a 7-year old who stutters meets another person who stutters for the first time, teenagers can hang out with each other and not worry about being ridiculed for how they talk, and speech-language pathologist can feel safe to work together to support the fluency of their clients.

We hope to see you there!

What to expect? This one-day workshop is designed to bring together young children and teenagers who stutter, their parents, members of stuttering self-help groups, and speech-language pathologists. Adults who stutter are also encouraged to join us. Separate workshops will be presented for adults, t...

02/02/2017

At the start of each training, we invite participants to "cluster" together when they hear a statement that is true for them. Who is the eldest in their family? Who is an only child? Who is a vegetarian? Who is an opportunistic forager? Who was born and raised in Los Angeles? Who was raised outside the United States? Who has struggled with navigating challenging conversations?

Every day, we have the opportunity to seek out the similarities with those we work with and continue to respect and celebrate all of our unique differences.

During times of perceived divisiveness, we encourage you to pause, ask questions, and listen actively with the intention to build understanding and strengthen relationships.

https://youtu.be/jD8tjhVO1Tc

We live in a time where we quickly put people in boxes. Maybe we have more in common than what we think? Introducing All That We Share. The English version.

01/23/2017

D.R.E.A.M.S. Scholarship applications are now available! The distinctive mission of D.R.E.A.M.S. is to encourage and support deserving students whose high school education was bolstered by an individualized education plan (I.E.P.)

To find out more about the scholarship and to download the 2017 application, visit www.dreamsscholarship.org. Applications are due by April 15, 2017.

11/02/2016

Oh, how this makes our heart sing. A beautiful example of a family celebrating diversity, and the incredible chain reaction that ensued.

10/17/2016

We love Sofia! A beautiful reminder of how our unique qualities unite us and make us stronger together.

08/31/2016

Thrilled to have spent the last three days with the East Valley SELPA to build capacity in positive communications and successfully navigating challenging conversations.

"Effective negotiators are tough on the problem while remaining soft on the people." William Ury.

05/05/2016

It is amazing what a heartfelt "sorry" can do.

Last year in defense of Terrence Howard, Daniels said abusers like Sean Penn get a pass in Hollywood.

05/02/2016

While we might want to control challenging conversations in order to get to our desired outcome, we can really only control three things - our actions, our reactions, and our attitudes. In that case, we must hold back from proving that we are "right" and the other person is "wrong".

Since there will inevitably be two perspectives in a challenging conversation, let's learn to be grateful for views that are different than our own.

THIS MONTH - Gratitude for Our Differences

04/27/2016

MINDFULNESS

For a more compassionate approach to conflict, we must work through the essential questions toward empathy and understanding. Only then can we start to get less involved with the emotions that surround conflict, working through the essential questions instead.

In the following meditation on conflict, Lodro Rinzler, meditation teacher and author, helps us acknowledge the commonality we have even (and especially) with those whom we oppose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-aFD2Cn0bA&feature=youtu.be

When I speak about my book, The Buddha Walks into the Office, I am often asked the same question: “What do I do about the jerks I work with?” I think we all ...

04/20/2016

MINDFULNESS

What role does mindfulness play in challenging conversations? Allowing our minds to wander off and think about what we are mad about can escalate the problem and hinder our ability to listen.

To be more effective and mindful in our conflicts, we need to start becoming more aware and conscious of our thinking during our daily tasks. Try one of these two exercises: pay attention when you are sitting down or standing up, or pay attention when you are opening a door.

Sounds simple, right? Let us know if it was or wasn't!