TARALYNNEWEST
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MY VERY BAD DAY
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL MY VERY BAD DAY Tara West July 5, 2023 A few days ago, I was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I didn’t get enough sleep, was stressed about a project I was working on, and, to top it off, I lost my favorite pair…
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BARUCH BUSH (1948-2026)
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL BARUCH BUSH (1948-2026) Tara West March 14, 2026 Baruch Bush, co-founder of the transformative approach to mediation, passed away on February 27, 2026, at the age of 78. Baruch was a true leader and teacher, and was known for his intellect, humor, and generosity of spirit. I was…
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SELF-DETERMINATION VERSUS PROTECTION: A FALSE CHOICE?
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL SELF-DETERMINATION VERSUS PROTECTION: A FALSE CHOICE? Tara West This article was originally posted as a guest blog post for the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation on January 29, 2020 “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor…
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A LADDER FASHIONED FROM PAPER TOWELS
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL A LADDER FASHIONED FROM PAPER TOWELS Tara West This article was originally posted to LinkedIn and Facebook on December 1, 2022 Today I tried to rescue a spider. He was sitting at the bottom of my kitchen sink, seemingly unable to crawl up the side to get out.…
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DRAWN TO THE LIGHT
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL DRAWN TO THE LIGHT Tara West March 10, 2023 I have two houseplants, Aloe and Matilda, who I have miraculously kept alive for close to three years now. And I’ve noticed that, even though they’re sitting right next to each other, Aloe grows toward my west-facing windows, while…
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STRAIGHTENING OUT A WIGGLY WORLD
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL STRAIGHTENING OUT A WIGGLY WORLD Tara West July 17, 2023 “You’re only making a mess by trying to put things straight. You’re trying to straighten out a wiggly world and no wonder you’re in trouble.” ~Alan Watts I stumbled upon this Alan Watts quote the other day, and…
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TRANSFORMATIVE CURIOUS?
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL TRANSFORMATIVE CURIOUS? Tara West October 17, 2023 (Updated on October 25th) Transformative curious? If you’d like to learn more about Transformative Mediation, but you’re not ready to invest 20+ hours and hundreds of dollars into it just yet (or ever), I’m now offering a half-day Transformative Mediation Essentials…
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LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK’S BACK
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK’S BACK Tara West This article was originally posted to LinkedIn and Facebook on November 23, 2022 Several years ago, my then-boyfriend (“Ben”) and I used to hang out with Ben’s friends (“Steve and Maureen”) pretty regularly. I loved hanging out with Steve and…
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MOTORCYCLES AND CONFLICT
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL MOTORCYCLES AND CONFLICT Tara West February 12, 2023 When I was about 12 years old, a neighbor kid (“Bart”) offered me a ride on the back of his moped. Bart told me there was only one thing I needed to remember – when he leaned into a turn,…
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UNWINDING THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF CONFLICT
Tara West, JD, PhD ☰ABOUTSERVICESTRAININGBLOGCONTACTSCHEDULE A CALL UNWINDING THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF CONFLICT Tara West April 18, 2023 I recently had the opportunity to speak with more than 50 mediators, arbitrators, and attorneys about the type of mediation I practice, which is known as “transformative mediation.” This approach recognizes that humans are social animals, and…