Hi everyone,

It’s been a great month for IACP! Our new website continues to grow, with fresh content appearing daily in the member portal, blogs, and resource areas. If you haven’t explored the portal yet, I encourage you to give it a try—and join the conversation. If you run into any issues, our staff is ready to help.

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending the 13th annual conference of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals (FACP). I presented a workshop on Building the Future, focused on how we can attract and support younger professionals in Collaborative Practice. It was an inspiring experience and a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends—and make new ones. If your practice group is planning a meeting or conference, I’d love to join you!

Our IACP committees are also in full swing, working to support the goals of our Strategic Plan. If you missed the chance to join a committee but would still like to get involved, let us know—we will help you find a good fit.

Starting this month, I’ll be dedicating a part of each President’s Letter to the Ten Pillars of Collaborative Practice. These value statements emerged from our Board of Directors strategic planning process. They help define what sets Collaborative Practice—and IACP—apart.

We began this process by refining our Mission and Vision:

Vision: We envision a world in which all dispute resolution is collaborative, compassionate, and constructive.

Mission: We unite and empower a global network of professionals who are dedicated to transforming conflict resolution using the principles of Collaborative Practice.

That led us to ask: What are the principles of Collaborative Practice? We sometimes say that we are a “like-minded” community. What are we like-minded about? The Ten Pillars are an attempt to capture that spirit. Here they are at a glance:

Empowerment, Holistic Support, Adaptability, Open Communication, Inclusivity, Ethical Integrity, Interdisciplinary Teamwork, Persistence, Confidentiality, Respect.

In future months, I’ll unpack one Pillar at a time. I look forward to exploring them with you.