By Robert Arthur, IACP President
Hi everyone,
We are halfway through 2025 and deep into summer here in my part of the world. I hope your July has been both joyful and productive!
At IACP, it’s been a busy month—highlighted by our recent Town Hall. I shared updates about our Mission, Vision, and the Ten Pillars of Collaborative Practice. We heard from several IACP committees and saw a live demonstration of the new IACP Member Portal. One of the most meaningful moments came when Past President Selina Trigg presented the Heart of Service Award to two extraordinary members: Past President Diane Diel and Mark Soboslai. Their dedication to IACP is inspiring to us all.
Looking ahead, I’d like to spotlight our next Collaborative Club event: Effective Collaborative Team Debriefing, a member only conversation led by Board Member Anthony Diaz, on August 19 (North America). Strong team communication enhances every Collaborative process. I hope you will join me in registering!
As part of my Presidential year, I’m dedicating space each month to the Ten Pillars of Collaborative Practice. Last month, we explored Empowerment. This month, I turn to the second Pillar: Holistic Support.
Each of the Ten Pillars is a value statement—not listed in order of importance. The first four describe values we express through our work. Here’s the full statement:
Through Collaborative Practice, we provide resources to facilitate holistic solutions that address the emotional, financial, and legal aspects of disputes.
It’s a broad and powerful idea. I chose the phrase Holistic Support, but others might call it Holistic Solutions or Multi-Dimensional Problem Solving. What word or phrase would you choose?
This Pillar names something essential: that in Collaborative Practice, nothing is off the table. As we walk through the Ten Pillars, we will see a consistent theme of support for the parties in conflict, but this is the Pillar that names it specifically. We build interdisciplinary teams to help clients navigate every dimension of their conflict. That kind of integrated support simply is not available in legal processes alone.
Next month: Adaptability.
