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– Kenneth Cloke,
Mediator/Arbitrator President, Mediators Beyond Borders Director, Center for Dispute Resolution |
Dorit Cypis is a creative and
skillful mediator. She has the unique ability to deftly marry disparate
strains of thought and to knit together broken threads in the way of an
artist, a poet, or a philosopher. Her work, her environment, her being
brings a gift of calm to any dispute. Her intellect inspires mediators
throughout the community to think beyond the traditional confines of litigation
or its alternate and to forge partnerships and truly unique solutions to
intractable conflict. I endorse Foreign Exchanges as the beacon to the
future of mediation in our complicated society.
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– Jan Frankel Schau,
Esq., Mediator, ADR Services Southern California Mediation Association, President, 2007 |
You don't learn this
in law school, conventional mediation trainings or anywhere else. The ability
to use all your senses to learn all you can about the people and the situation
with whom you are working can spell the difference between a successful mediation
and a futile exercise. We are proud that SCMA is sponsoring Dorit Cypis'
series of programs. The only way to get to the next level is to get outside
the box.
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– Jeff Kichaven,
Esq. Mediator, JAMS Southern California Mediation Association, President 2005 |
It was a godsend to have
had you as our mediator. While we did not know what to expect during the
mediation, it surpassed anything we could have ever expected or even imagined.
You are a powerful mediator and it is obvious that you also possess a gift
for opening the lines of communication as well as the minds that go with
it. We were totally enamored by how you were able to accomplish the very
thoughts we have tried to convey to certain parties since the beginning
of this.
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– Jill
Exposito, Plaintiff Civil Rights litigated mediation, 2007 |
Dorit Cypis brings an artist's sensibility to her work in conflict
resolution – the storyteller's understanding that conflict is
an opportunity for character development, a photographer's recognition
that resolution may require a new lens.
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– Dr.
Roberta Morris, author and mediator Mediare Center for Mediation and Peace Education |
Dorit brings a unique perspective to working through conflict. She was the
ideal co-mediator for a dispute involving a plaintiff who, while physically
a man, presented as a woman. Her work as an artist on gender, her capacity
to empathize with and articulate emotions, as well as her very fine professional
ADR training, all contributed to her excellent work resolving this knotty
contract matter. She has also performed in and debriefed scenarios for "Dispute
Resolution in the Entertainment Industry," a class at Pepperdine University's
School of Law, with great flair
and insight.
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– Jane
B. Garzilli, Esq. Mediator, President, Garzilli
Mediation Adjunct Professor of Law, Pepperdine University |
The
mediation services of Dorit Cypis have saved my life. Working between my
collaborators and myself, Dorit helped to shift what seemed to be an intractable
conflict to a place where we could begin to honor and respect one another's
experiences. What had seemed like a black and white situation for me, came
to take on multiple hues. Without having to let go of truths that I hold,
Dorit helped us develop a path to move ahead built upon an acknowledgement
of multiple Truths. The work of a mediator cuts deep and Dorit was an excellent
guide through our conflict. For that I am eternally grateful.
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– Robert
Herbst, artist, editor Journal of Aesthetics & Social Protesty |
Dorit broke down our ideological
conflict and brought us back to the personal. I think she is a brilliant
mediator in that she is able to disperse conflict through language and performance
and use the newly opened space to enable communication. I find myself revisiting
her "toolbox" to get a different perspective whenever I can.
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– Christina
Ulke, artist, editor Journal of Aesthetics & Social Protest |
Through a practice highlighting personal reflection, dialogue and dance
(well, lets call it movement) Dorit managed to shake up what seemed to be
an intractable conflict and bring it back to the level of human beings talking
in a room around a funny thing that everyone involved cared deeply about.
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– Marc
Herbst, artist, editor Journal of Aesthetics & Social Protest |
Dorit opened up a communication channel which seemed impossible for me and
my collaborator at the time. Her unbiased guidance provided a safe place
for us to find our own way to a genuine conversation and a honest resolution.
Personally, Dorit's philosophical approach to mediation provided me an alternative
perspective in understanding how art and law cross path in our society. What
makes her unique as a mediator is that she thoroughly understands what it
means to be an artist, a collaborator, and a community member. Her practice
offers a realistic and empathetic recognition to the subtle differences amongst
these roles.
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– Annie Shaw, artist, independant curator |
Dorit Cypis served as
key note speaker at an advanced mediation training offered by Arts Arbitration & Mediation
Services. As an artist herself, she was able to speak credibly, passionately
and eloquently to a group of mediators interested in mediating conflicts
involving artists, about the unique way in which artists approach conflict
and conflict resolution. The attendees' evaluations were full of praise
for her presentation. She was terrific!
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– Victoria
Goldfarb, Esq., Associate Director California Lawyers for the Arts |
Dorit is able to use her deep insight and understanding to see connections
and opportunities in challenging situations and conversations. She
uses humor in ways that allow all the parties to reframe their stories towards
healing and happiness. I have been privileged to witness Dorit's work for
over twenty years.
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– Reverend
Myo-0 Marilyn Habermas-Scher, Zen nun, chaplain, teacher and artist |