In the event that a student and teacher have difficulties, open communication can be difficult. Below is a list of mediators who are trained to facilitate unbiased conversations between two people who have experienced conflict and/or abuse in their relationship.
Please feel free to contact mediators directly to find out more about their background, experience, training, and protocol for resolving disputes, as well as their rates and availability. If a student wants to hire a neutral third-party mediator to facilitate a confidential conversation with their teacher, it is reasonable to request that the teacher share the cost of the mediator’s fee.
If you are a trained mediator and wish to be listed in this directory, you can apply to be included in this listing by emailing us at info@spiritual-integrity.org. Please tell us about your training and experience in your field. All mediators listed are required to work in accordance with all applicable professional codes of ethics.
The Association for Spiritual Integrity is not liable for any mediation arising from the appointment of a mediator using this resource facility.
I am a long-time (over 25 years) psychotherapist and spirituality coach. I completed a training in 2020 that has oriented me to offer mediation for spiritual communities, specifically spiritual teachers and students directly involved in situations of abuse and scandal.
I work with those who are in the process of leaving their spiritual community or are unsure of whether to continue to be involved or not. I support my clients to help them get in touch with who they are, authentically. Then we address how to live in full accordance with their authentic selves.
I work online supporting people who have left their community, after feeling wronged, silenced or abused by spiritual teachers and community leaders. I also provide mediation between spiritual teachers and their students and ex-students. I help each person involved to speak their truths to one another in non-threatening ways, and to create a resolution that is mutually satisfying.
soulwisdomtherapy.com
Scott Brown is a mediator, restorative justice practitioner and relationship coach. His Restorative Mediation process creates the safety and the restorative mindset necessary to surface the full extent of the harm and allow for heart-felt accountability. The harm is framed as unmet human needs which humanizes and takes the fight out of the conflict. The necessary repair flows collaboratively and organically from the process.
For deep levels of harm rippling out to impact groups and communities Scott has co-created a restorative justice-inspired Active Peace Circle process which is similar to the above but is co-facilitated and includes community representatives who speak to the ripple effects of the harm. This is an in-depth process that surfaces root causes that perpetuate the harm at the systems level, for example, organizational structures and norms, power and gender dynamics, etc.
4activepeace.com
The spiritual path is a rocky road, full of potholes and pitfalls, and not meant to be travelled alone. Since the publication of my fourth book, Halfway Up the Mountain: the Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment over 20 years ago, and the subsequent books, The Guru Question: the Perils and Rewards of Choosing a Spiritual Teacher, and Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path, I have been supporting individual spiritual practitioners, teachers, and spiritual and religious communities in a variety of ways. These include: peer support and counselling for spiritual and religious leaders; working with communities to integrate psychological integration with spiritual practices; helping individuals heal from the breakdown and dissolution of spiritual communities; and working with spiritual emergencies. I have mediated and supported many communities in crisis, and deeply believe in preventative spiritual health to prevent and prepare for the inevitable challenges that arise in spiritual leadership and practice.
marianacaplan.com
Karen is a trainer, facilitator and an omnipartial mediator. Her training spans traditional western liberal arts to eastern masters, religions and philosophies. She is certified through the Center for Nonviolent Communication and focuses on the spirituality of the consciousness of compassionate living. Karen mediates with the intention of connection based on the concept that this is a facilitated conversation between individuals (or groups) who carry their own wisdom but need support in hearing each other. Her clients include individuals, spiritual communities, businesses, non-profits, political parties and family groups. She is currently the president of a nonprofit, Houston Nonviolent Communication and teaches multiple classes online as well as works directly with organizational dynamics in communities.
karenstarz.com
The mission of the Association for Spiritual Integrity℠ (ASI) is to foster the fundamental role of strong ethical principles in the ongoing development of spiritual leaders and communities.
