Lucy G.: Feeling really heard is transformative (Profile of a Basic Mediation Training participant) 
Effective communication is part of everyday life for early childhood educator and CRG Basic Mediation Training participant Lucy G. Striving to build classroom cultures that nourish relationships and make problem-solving a growth experience, Lucy offers a creative and fun-loving tenderness to her interactions with young ones. After receiving feedback in her work and personal life that she is someone with a willingness to listen and capacity for synthesizing information, she decided she wanted skills and a safe space to learn and practice with others.
 
A long-time Massachusetts resident, Lucy researched organizations offering mediation and communication workshops. She learned that CRG, and its earlier iteration as TMTC, “had a good reputation locally and across the state.” Even though the training takes place over Zoom, she said the facilitators construct sessions in consistent and personal ways that elicited genuine responses by participants. The facilitators structure each session to provide time for learning, discussion and practice. And they model what they teach. They take time to express themselves, share their experiences and support each participant as we practice using role plays. "I have never been a role play person, but, I am finding myself really getting into them and learning from the experiences"  During the training sessions facilitators don’t only ask the participants questions but they share their own experiences as well. As a result, “This made me more receptive to the role plays.” And, facilitators and other participants walk the walk. “Feeling really heard is transformative,” she emphasized. “The training really helped me be able to slow down and take a look at where and how I might more effectively integrate my own personal responses with the responses of others.” As Lucy contemplates the experience of mediation training she wonders too about ways mediation may impact or open professional opportunities.
 
A shout-out to Lucy for her work as a participant (especially in role plays!) and her willingness to share her experiences. If you’d like to share an experience with CRG mediation, training, restorative practice, or facilitation, send us an email at [email protected].