Meet the team

Laura Kirkpatrick

College of Mediators Approved Mediator, Civil Mediation Council Registered Mediator,  SEND Accredited Mediator, Conflict Coach, Restorative Justice Facilitator, Professional Practice Consultant & Trainer

Laura has over 20 years experience working in the field of conflict resolution and is an Accredited Mediator, Professional Practice Consultant, Trainer and Restorative Justice Facilitator.

She ran a local authority mediation service which provided mediation in a number of fields, including neighbour disputes, homelessness, workplace, commercial, family and community conference cases; in addition Restorative Justice cases. This involved an annual caseload of 250 plus referrals, management of the mediation team (including over 40 volunteers) and design and delivery of their comprehensive training portfolio.

Laura is qualified in Interpersonal, Civil & Commercial, Workplace, SEND’s and Family Mediation.  She undertook additional training to enables her to consult with children and young people and has also delivered Level 2 Restorative Justice Conferences on behalf of Greater Manchester Police.

She has developed a number of workshops – including a range of Communication & Conflict Management workshops, which could be mixed and matched to suit the clients need. She also developed a Conflict Coaching workshop, Transforming Family Conflict Workshop and many other short 1 – 2 hour workshops developing specific areas of mediation practice.

In addition to her work above she has a number of voluntary positions. She has been actively involved with the North West Mediation Network since it’s commencement in 2011 and now co-ordinates all the network days, with the contribution of it’s members to the content of each event. Previously she was appointed as a Director to the Board of the College of Mediators for 8 years, sat on the organising committe for the Midlands Mediation Network and co-ordinated the North East Mediation Network. More recently she joined the Civil Mediation Council working group for Community Mediation.

Julie Farrell

College of Mediators Approved Mediator, Civil Mediation Council Registered Mediator, SEND Accredited Mediator, Conflict Coach, Restorative Justice Facilitator, Professional Practice Consultant & Trainer

Over the past seventeen years Julie has worked on hundreds of cases and has mediated and facilitated a wide range of disputes; from homelessness, neighbour, family and workplace through to civil & commercial, special educational needs, community conferences and restorative justice.

In the past, Julie has worked within a local authority mediation service; mediating, managing casework & referrals, supervising over 40 active volunteers as well as being instrumental in the continuous professional development of all the mediators within the service.

She is qualified in Interpersonal, Civil & Commercial, Workplace, SEND’s and Family Mediation and undertook additional training that enables her to consult with children and young people. She has also delivered Level 2 Restorative Justice Conferences on behalf of Greater Manchester Police. She delivers conflict coaching to individuals on a one to one basis, to enable them to develop strategies that can help them transform their conflict.

She is actively involved in the North West Network of Mediators, delivering workshops and mediation practice supervision to its members. More recently she joined the Civil Mediation Council working group for Community Mediation.

She is passionate about reflective practice and engages in a process of continuous learning and professional development, attending external supervision.

ASSOCIATE MEDIATORS / FACILITATORS

In addition to the Partners, Solution Talk also draws upon the expertise of its Associate Mediators / Facilitators to help support the provision of mediation, coaching and restorative justice interventions.

All our Associate Mediators / Facilitators have received accredited training in Interpersonal Mediation Skills, along with additional training in Conflict Coaching and Restorative Justice. Solution Talk requires all its mediators and facilitators to take part in its Annual Accreditation Programme, which establishes a minimum annual commitment toward supervision, continuous professional development and working with parties in disputes.

We are delighted to introduce you to: