Victim-Offender Dialogue Training Offered this October

This October 21-22, CCMA will offer a virtual victim-offender dialogue facilitation training for the  Office of Dispute Resolution and Family Court Programs for Missouri's 7th Judicial Circuit. This training is free for anyone interested in contracting as a paid facilitator with the Victim-Offender Dialogue program in Clay County, MO.
 
The training is sponsored by the Office of Dispute Resolution and Family Court Programs for Missouri's 7th Judicial Circuit, and is funded by a Division of Youth Services grant. For more information, please contact Director Dr. Teri Hargrave via email or at 816-736-8402.

About this Training
When individuals commit an offense they harm their victims, society, and themselves. Restorative justice is about healing and addressing wrongs that have been committed and repairing the relationships in the community. This training will prepare participants to facilitate dialogues between someone who has committed an offense and the person/people impacted by that offense. 

About Victim-Offender Dialogue
Victim-offender dialogue is a facilitated discussion between someone whose offense has caused harm and those impacted by their actions.

• All parties are prepared in advance to take part in a structured dialogue about the harm caused.
• Those involved have a chance to “tell their story” and ask questions of one another.
• The parties then work together to develop a plan to repair the harm caused and hold the person whose actions caused the harm accountable. This plan may include the payment of restitution, the completion of meaningful community or University service, or other creative options.
• The goal of the plan is both to repair the harm but also to reintegrate those who have caused the harm back into the community. 

About Communication & Conflict Management Associates' Training
CCMA's founders Dr. Charlene Berquist and Heather Blades have been providing training in restorative justice and victim-offender dialogue since 2006.
This training covers basic restorative justice principles and begins to prepare participants to facilitate victim-offender dialogues in juvenile and adult cases. No prior mediation experience is necessary to become a victim-offender dialogue facilitator. 

For More Information
Read more about CCMA's victim-offender dialogue training on our website, or contact us to learn more about offering similar training for your court, educational institution, or community organization at [email protected].