Resources _________________________ OSPI Professional Development Calendar

Building Individual and Collective Capacity for Engaging Conflict

An essential characteristic of effective people in any community or organization is the ability to engage successfully in critical and difficult conversations. Successful teaming requires a diverse group of individuals to engage in challenging conversations around complex issues. Sound Options Group is offering a series of professional development opportunities designed for building individual and collective capacity for navigating conflict and based on an MTSS framework.

  • Tier 1 offerings focus on building individual competence and confidence for engaging interpersonal conflict.
  • Tier 2 offerings focus on building skills for supporting others to navigate conflict.  This includes Conflict Coaching, Group Facilitation, and Teaching basic skills.
  • Tier 3 resources focus on building a culture of effective conflict engagement in support of new learning and adaptive work.

Target Audience

Administrators, Program Coordinators, Teachers, Counselors, Central Office Staff, ESA Staff, Parents, Parent Partners.

Contact Greg Abell at Sound Options Group, LLC grega@somtg.com if you have questions.

Seminar Offerings – 2024

Tier One

Target Audience - Leadership Teams, Task Forces, Individuals

Engaging Challenging Conversations

Tier Two

Target Audience - Educators, Parents, Service Providers

Operating from the Third Side. Supporting Others to Navigate Conflict (core course)

Tier Two

Target Audience - Program/Building Administrators, IEP Team Members

Facilitating the IEP Process

Tier One: Core

Engaging Challenging Conversations

Target Audience

Educators, Parents, Service Providers

This Tier 1 core course, Engaging Challenging Conversations, is foundational to our Multi-Tiered System of Support for Conflict Engagement, MTSSCE.  It is a stand-alone course designed for increasing a participant’s individual capacity for engaging conflict. It also serves as an introduction to key concepts, processes and skills that will be built upon in all subsequent Tier 2 courses.  In this seminar we:

  • explore the work of key thinkers and leaders in the field,
  • introduce foundational concepts, processes, and skills at the heart of effective conflict engagement, and
  • explore and practice a fundamental framework and set of skills and strategies for effectively engaging interpersonal conflict

Dates Offered

Seminars are offered over a Zoom platform in four (4) half-day sessions,

February 20, 22, 27, and 29

12:30 – 4:00 each session

March 19, 21, 26, and 28

8:30 – 12:00 each session

Tier Two: Foundations

Operating from the Third Side: Supporting Others to Navigate Conflict

Target Audience

individuals or groups looking to improve their capacity to support others to effectively engage conflict

This Tier 2 core seminar builds on foundational concepts, processes, and skills taught in Tier 1 and at the heart of our Multi-Tiered System of Support for Conflict Engagement.  In this seminar we:

  • review key concepts, processes, and skills from Tier 1,
  • introduce the role of the Facilitator in supporting the work of groups and teams, 
  • introduce and explore the role of Conflict Coach in supporting others to effectively engage and navigate challenging work, and 
  • introduce participants to a curriculum designed for sharing conflict engagement skills with others. 

Dates Offered

Seminars are offered over a Zoom platform in Four (4) half-day sessions,

May 14, 16, 21, and 23

12:30 – 4:00 each session

Tier Two: IEP Facilitation

Facilitating the IEP Process

Target Audience

IEP Team Members, Program Administrators, Building Administrators

The development of an IEP defining FAPE for a student is a complex process of collaboration.  It is a context in which team members with diverse expertise and experience must come together and leverage this diversity in service of a student.  In order to support the process, many SEA’s and LEA’s are making available a facilitator to support this process.  This seminar explores the role of a facilitator in this specific context.  In this seminar we:

  • explore the role and function of a facilitator,
  • identify where in the context of the IEP process a facilitator adds value, and 
  • practice key skills and strategies of the facilitator 

Dates Offered

Seminars are offered over a Zoom platform in two (2) half-day sessions,

April 16 and 18

8:30 – 12:30 each session

April 30 and May 2

12:30 – 4:00 each session