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Workshop Objectives

Participants will gain an awareness of...• the role of CADRE as the national center and our

resources

and …• learn about strategies to more effectively respond to

parents in crisis and manage difficult calls

and more importantly …• Examine own responses/strategies • Identify self-improvement goals and supports for

meeting those goals

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Assumptions

• Conflict is a healthy reflection of a diverse and changing

society.

• Many parents are in crisis by the time they contact parent

centers.

• Skills can be acquired and strategies implemented that

facilitate productive interactions.

• Workshop participants are already skilled at communicating

and managing difficult calls.

• Even skilled and experienced parent center staff may have an

emotional reaction during a call and may struggle with how

best to respond to the parent.

• Learning how to respond more effectively to parents in crisis

and manage difficult calls is an ongoing process. 3

What makes a

call difficult?

Why are callers

being difficult?

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How do you know

when a call was

managed well?

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What strategies have

you found to be

effective in responding

to parents in crisis and

managing difficult

calls?

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Self Reflection:

What strengths do you have that enable you

to effectively respond to people in crisis and

manage calls well?

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Strategy 1: Understand History, Context, and

Motivation

HistoryDo you have history with this person?

ContextWhat happened prior to the caller actually speaking to you?

MotivationWhat interest/need does the caller have?

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Strategy 2: Show Personal Regard

• When people can empathize with a person, they

are more likely to be compassionate and patient

with a person who is upset or angry.

• Showing a person respect, even when the other

person is not being respectful, can de-escalate a

situation and provide dignity to the individual.

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Empathy

• Frustration/anger can come from an isolated instance

but in many cases comes from multiple experiences.

• Frustration/anger could be the motivation that enabled

the individual to reach out to you.

• Many parents of students with disabilities experience

elevated levels of stress on a regular basis.

• Parents may be overwhelmed and not have the

necessary coping skills to handle their emotions.

• Parents often are afraid of what they think will happen

if their problems are not resolved satisfactorily.

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Differences

On any given day, you may speak with parents who have different expectations, emotional states, manners of communicating, and

abilities. These same parents also come from a variety of cultures and socio-economic

backgrounds.

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Differences

Parents may…

…view gender roles differently.

…view generational roles differently.

…defer to authority differently.

…experience ‘disability’ differently.

…experience and address conflict differently.

…communicate and process information differently.

…assimilate into the dominant culture differently.

…find the IEP process to be inaccessible or unattractive.

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• Our own experiences and

biases impact how we

respond to others.

• This can help us

empathize and be

compassionate with

parents but it can also

interfere with our ability

to best serve them.

How do you balance empathy and compassion with objectivity and self preservation?

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An angry parent needs to vent and will eventually calm down

on their own unless further triggered by what you say.

Strategy 3: Let Them Vent

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Strategy 4: Acknowledge Emotion and the

Difficult Situation They are Experiencing

“You’re experiencing a very difficult situation and are angry

with the school’s response to your concerns.”

“This must be really upsetting for you.”

“It sounds like you are really frustrated with the outcome of

your son’s last IEP meeting?”

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Strategy 5: Listen to Understand

• Listen to entire story and take

notes; Look for main topics,

interests/needs, and feelings

• Resist interrupting them,

jumping to conclusions, or

immediately offering a solution

• Ask clarifying questions as

needed

• Repeat parent’s concern and

what he/she would like help

with

Then, clarify your role and what the caller can expect in regards

to services you and your organization can provide.

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Strategy 6: Role Model and Facilitate Positive

Interactions

Self Reflection:

1. What behaviors trigger an emotional response from

you?

2. How do you respond when a behavior angers or upsets

you?

How can we support each other in modeling and

facilitating positive interactions?

Certain Responses…

• Derail the conversation

• Take the focus off the other person

• Block the other person from finding a solution

• Distance you from the other person

• Diminish the other person’s motivation and

sense of being valued

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High Risk Responses

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• Ordering• Threatening• Moralizing• Advice• Logical Argument• Questions

• Judging• Praising• Name-Calling• Diagnosing• Reassuring• Diverting

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Strategy 7: Restore Power and Control

• Provide accurate information

• Share resources

• Offer choices

• Carefully choose words that empower • “You may already be aware of this resource, but if not, it does a

nice job of explaining…”

• “You may want to consider the following options… ”

• “What do you think about…”

• “How can we support you with…”

• Recommend Capacity Building Opportunities as needed

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Fishbowl Activity

2 people at each table volunteer to act out a situation. The two volunteers sit back to back.

One person acts as the escalator (parent), other person acts as a de-escalator.

Table observes the interaction and provides feedback.

Self-Care

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Reflection

What strengths do you have that enable you to

effectively respond to people in crisis and manage calls

well?

What skills do you need to further develop?

What steps will you take to develop that skill?

Who will support your development of that skill?

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Some CADRE Priorities

• Assist states to implement dispute resolution

provisions of IDEA

• Encourage implementation of effective early

dispute resolution processes

• Promote positive partnerships between parents

and educators to improve student outcomes

• Promote problem solving and agreement

reaching skills

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CADRE’s Work with Parent Centers

CADRE has supported the work of Parent Centers

and PTACs by:

• Regularly attending and presenting at Regional

PTAC meetings each year;

• Disseminating dispute resolution resources to

parent centers;

• Posting materials and webinars for parent

centers and families to our website ; and

• Facilitating SEA/LA and Parent Center

Collaborative Workgroups focused on dispute

resolution resource development. 25

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Resources

CADRE- http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/

Archived Webinar: Using Trauma-Sensitive Strategies

to Support Family Engagement and Effective CollaborationPresented by Dr. Elizabeth Meeker

Upcoming Webinar: Constructive Individual and Systemic Approaches to Helping Frequent FilersPresented by Suzanne McDougall and Marshall PeterJune 8, 2016 from 11:30am-12:45pm PT (1:30-2:45pm CT)

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Questions

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Contact Information

Kelly Rauscher

Dispute Resolution Specialist

CADRE, The National Center for Dispute Resolution in

Special Education

Ph: 541-686-5060

www. http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/

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