We are pleased to bring you another issue of the Collaborative Connection, the electronic newsletter of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

Past issues of the Connection are archived on the IACP website at www.collaborativepractice.com [Home > Member Resources > IACP Publications]. If you have comments, questions or any suggestions, please contact info@collaborativepractice.com.

Get answers to all of your most pressing Forum questions on Thursday, October 10th!
How can you participate in the Pin Swap? What's the dress code? How can you make sure you're signed up for meals? Where do you go to view your Forum schedule and documents? 

Our Forum panel will answer those questions and much more during this free online webinar. Keep an eye on your inbox for more information about registration for this free event. 

Time is Short

As we approach the early-bird deadline for Forum, the time to save money on Forum registration begins to run out. The staff, Board and volunteers are scurrying around to put the finishing touches on the 20th anniversary Forum, and we are confident this will be the best Forum ever. If you aren’t registered, I have to ask, “What are you waiting for?”

Thinking about the final preparations allows me the opportunity to look back on all the work up to this point and to reflect on the power of a group of like-minded professionals all pulling in the same direction to make something wonderful. (Very much like the Collaborative work we do.) Our Board members and volunteers who made up the Forum Workshop Review Committee worked together to review over 60 workshop proposals to provide detailed evaluations to assist the Forum Planning Committee in their work. Through this process we pulled together a vast array of the very best Collaborative education available anywhere. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this possible.

I would be remiss were I to thank anyone without thanking our Forum Local Host Committee, which is comprised of local Collaborative Practitioners from the Chicago area as well as dedicated volunteers from neighboring states. Led by Board member Kevin Scudder and co-chair Rachel Hernandez from the Chicago area, this committee has rolled up their sleeves and done the hard work of raising awareness, securing sponsors, applying for CLE and CEU credits, creating a database of local experiences for attendees and overall being the cheerleaders in the region for the Forum and the IACP. I really cannot thank the 1,000 Merry Monkeys enough.

Well, now I feel I have to explain and relate the story told by carl Michael rossi about the 1,000th monkey, and at that point you may understand why the Local Host Committee chose the name 1,000 Merry Monkeys. As the story goes, on November 2, 2002, at the IACP’s 3rd Annual Networking and Education Forum on Galveston Island, Texas, then President Norma Trusch addressed the crowd of approximately 100 attendees and related a story of observational research. Apparently, researchers observed that one monkey did something to undesirable food that made it edible. Other monkeys then emulated the technique (monkey see, monkey do) and at one point enough monkeys had adopted the behavior, say 1,000 monkeys, that all of the monkeys on the island, nearby islands and the mainland began engaging in the behavior as well.

Norma held out the notion that our work and our organization is like the early monkeys moving towards a time when everyone all over the world will follow our lead, perhaps without even knowing they were being led. At that Forum, as I said, there were about 100 attendees, and Norma declared our turning point would be the 1,000th monkey.

Though our membership has greatly exceeded 1,000 members, our Forum attendance has never reached those lofty heights. So it became the nickname of the Local Host Committee and their unofficial charge was to do everything in their power to make sure this was the year of the 1,000th monkey. A fitting name and goal for this Committee. I want to personally thank the 1,000 Merry Monkeys for all of their hard work. I look forward to joining you all in Chicago in 2 months.

Retelling stories told to me about the IACP of the past brings keen clarity to how far we have come and how far we have yet to go. The IACP and the world of Collaborative Practice has grown and changed a great deal since that day in November when Norma stood before 100 dreamers and told them the world was going to change and they were the engine of that change.The hard work and dedication of all of you who volunteer your time locally, regionally, nationally or internationally to make this dream a reality is greatly appreciated by me and is instrumental in making the world a better place where families in conflict can respectfully resolve their disputes.

We haven’t reached 1,000 yet, and though time is short to save money on registration, there is still time. If you aren’t registered for the Forum, I encourage you to register today. Can you be the one that tips the scale? Will you be number 1,000? Is that the pivot point? I believe it very well could be, and invite each and every one of you to join the 1,000 Merry Monkeys and me in Chicago. Let’s tip the scales and change the world together.

Sincerely,

Chris Farish

Internationally-recognized trainer and first IACP President, Pauline Tesler has recently been appointed to the Fulbright Specialist program, a prestigious program of the U.S. Department of State offering funded cultural exchanges in more than 150 countries (excluding the United States).

This means that Collaborative groups around the world can now submit applications to the Fulbright program to bring Pauline to their communities for low-cost 2-6 week projects of training, coaching, or mentoring. Interested groups could also combine this program with an IACP Introductory Interdisciplinary Training. Join Pauline and IACP Executive Director Anne Tamar-Mattis for a one-hour question-and-answer session to learn more about the program requirements and how to apply.

In our last member feedback survey, you told us you wanted to see Collaborative Practice in the press. By making Collaborative Practice more mainstream we can educate more families about the Collaborative way, help practitioners find clients, and truly live out our mission of transforming the way families resolve conflict. Thanks to everyone who particpated in the month's press opportunities! 

Watch & Read more below

Watch Good Morning Washington - Local lawyer explains why divorces peak in August and the easiest way to separate. 

Read - Divorce rates increase at the end of the summer. Here are 6 reasons why.(Business Insider)

Read - The Most Popular Month For Divorce Makes Sense When You Look At The Circumstances, Experts Say (Romper)

Read - Going Back to School After Divorce Can be Stressful for Parents and Kids (Divorce Magazine)

Read - August Divorce Season: Why Divorce Rates Peak at the End of Summer (Divorce Magazine)

Are you interested in providing your expert opinion on Collaborative Divorce? Would you like to be called upon to serve as a knowledge expert when the media produces a story about our industry? Interested in being featured in print magazines, online publications, blogs, social media, radio, and/or on TV? If so, fill out this form to be contacted for future press opportunities!

Ideas to Engage Your Members:

Schedule events and group activities at various times and locations to accommodate a variety of members. Our practice group sends out e-mail reminders with links for registering for our events to make it easy for members to respond and add events to their calendars. Have a membership committee person contact people personally to encourage them to attend, particularly new members or members who may not regularly attend events.

Membership committee people could be assigned a new member “buddy” as soon as the new member joins, and the “buddy” could contact the new member periodically to check in, encourage attendance at events, or see if they have questions, etc. To encourage attendance at the Forum, at any event or regular meeting have members who have been to the Forum share a memory or highlight from a prior Forum.

Contributed by Lisa Standish

 Do you have questions about practice group management, or tips for other practice groups? 
Write to our Practice Group Development Committee at lgephart@nhpa.com.

In September, IACP President Chris Farish, Executive Director Anne Tamar-Mattis and IACP trainers Yuval Berger, Nancy Cameron, Lisa Alexander will join IACP Global Partner, Practicas Colaborativas in São Paulo for the second annual Brazilian Congress on Collaborative Practice. Click below to learn more or to register for the event.