Foundations Track:
Building Bridges

Strengthen your skills and lay the groundwork for confident practice

Thursday, April 30, 2026

11:30 am   Working Lunch
12:00 pm   Jeopardy Category: Who are the Financial Pros?
                   (Working lunch will continue through this session)
1:30 pm    Break
2:00 pm    Mediating Through Impasse
3:30 pm    Break
3:45 pm    PLENARY: Major Tax Changes Mediators Need to Know
5:15 pm    Sessions End
6:30 pm    Cocktail Reception
7:30 pm    Dinner, Entertainment & Awards

Friday, May 1, 2026

8:15 am    PLENARY: The Centered Mediator: Mindfulness Tools to Preserve Energy, Reduce Reactivity & Cultivate Grounded Communication
9:45 am    Break
10:15 am  Websites
11:45 am   Lunch, Annual Meeting, Election, Town Hall
1:45 pm    Mediation in the Face of Financial Betrayal
3:30 pm    PLENARY: Law in Motion: Updates for Today’s Mediator
5:15 pm    Sessions End
6:30 pm    Cocktail Reception
7:30 pm    Dinner & 60s Throwback Dance Party - Live Band
                  Good Groves & Peaceful Vibes

Saturday, May 2, 2026

8:30 am   PLENARY: Understanding and Maintaining Mediator
                 Neutrality: Challenges and Best Practices
10:00 am  Break
10:30 am  Cyber and AI
12:00 pm  Sessions End. Pick up boxed lunch and head to a Peer Group or Committee Table

Navigating Complexity Track:
Crossing Currents

Expand your expertise and navigate complexities with virtuosity

Thursday, April 30, 2026

11:30 am   Working Lunch
12:00 pm   DV/IVP
                   (Working lunch will continue through this session)
1:30 pm    Break
2:00 pm    ???
3:30 pm    Break
3:45 pm    PLENARY: Major Tax Changes Mediators Need to Know
5:15 pm    Sessions End
6:30 pm    Cocktail Reception
7:30 pm    Dinner, Entertainment & Awards

Friday, May 1, 2026

8:15 am    PLENARY: The Centered Mediator: Mindfulness Tools to Preserve Energy, Reduce Reactivity & Cultivate Grounded Communication
9:45 am    Break
10:15 am  Trusts and Estates
11:45 am   Lunch, Annual Meeting, Election, Town Hall
1:45 pm    Trauma-informed Mediation
3:30 pm    PLENARY: Law in Motion: Updates for Today’s Mediator
5:15 pm    Sessions End
6:30 pm    Cocktail Reception
7:30 pm    Dinner & 60s Throwback Dance Party - Live Band
                  Good Groves & Peaceful Vibes

Saturday, May 2, 2026

8:30 am   PLENARY: Understanding and Maintaining Mediator
                 Neutrality: Challenges and Best Practices
10:00 am  Break
10:30 am  Voice of Teens in Mediation
12:00 pm  Sessions End. Pick up boxed lunch and head to a Peer Group or Committee Table

Who’s Your Financial Expert? — A Jeopardy Challenge for Mediators

Speaker: Melissa Murphy Pavone, CFP, CDFA, and Sara Nanchanatt, CPA, CFF
Moderator: ???
(1.5 CLEs, CEs Pending) 

This interactive Jeopardy-style game is designed to help mediators understand the key financial professionals involved in divorce mediation—their roles, responsibilities, and how they contribute to fair and efficient outcomes in New York State.

Key Takeaways

- Recognize which financial experts to include on a mediation team and when.

- Strengthen confidence in financial terminology and concepts used in collaborative divorce.

- Encourage team-based approaches to complex cases—especially those involving tax issues, business valuations, or mortgage challenges.

- Promote cross-disciplinary respect among mediators, CDFAs®, CDLPs®, and forensic accountants.

Dialogue in the Shadow of Violence: Power, Consent, and Safety in Divorce Mediation

Speaker: Sheryl-Anne Sastow, Esq. and Adam Halper, Esq.
Moderator: Kristen Lyndaker, Esq. 
(1.5 CLEs, CEs Pending) 

This session will explore the complex intersection of domestic violence/intimate partner violence, power, and consent in divorce mediation. Moving beyond a basic overview of domestic violence, the panel will engage participants in a discussion of when, whether, and how mediation may be ethically appropriate when coercive dynamics are present. Attendees will deepen their ability to identify power-and-control patterns, assess a party’s capacity for meaningful participation, and evaluate whether true self-determination is possible. Panelists will share practical considerations for designing and implementing process safeguards that protect client safety while preserving the integrity of the mediation process. Real-world case examples will illustrate how experienced mediators navigate these issues in practice, including moments when mediation proceeds, is modified, or is appropriately terminated.

Key Takeaways

- Strengthen your ability to assess coercion, agency, and consent..

- Learn techniques for structuring mediation—such as staggered sessions, support persons, communication controls, and safety protocols—when domestic violence is a factor.

- Gain insight into how experienced mediators weigh ethical obligations, client autonomy, and safety when deciding whether to proceed, pause, or terminate mediation.

Creating Calm: Mediating Through Impasse to Foster Peace and Progress

Speaker: Talaiya Ahmed, Esq., Randy J Heller, Ph.D., LMFT, LMHC, and Ada Hasloecher
Moderator: ???
(1.5 CLEs, CEs Pending) 

Impasse is often the moment when mediation feels most fragile and most transformational. This session explores the skills required to de-escalate tension, restore forward momentum, and reframe impasse as an opportunity for clarity and movement. Through practical frameworks, reflective discussion, and applied examples, participants will examine how a mediator’s presence, emotional regulation, and analytical thinking directly influence party behavior and decision-making. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises and guided discussions to learn practical tools they can immediately integrate into their practice when facing entrenched conflict and high-stakes impasse.

Key Takeaways

- Strengthen Self-Regulation Techniques: Learn strategies to maintain composure and emotional control during conflicts, and to create a peaceful and constructive environment.

- Enhance Logical Thinking Skills: Expand ability to critically analyze conflict situations, and identify key issues and potential solutions while promoting harmony.

- Deepen Problem-Solving Approaches: Engage in practical exercises to cultivate innovative problem-solving techniques that can be used to resolve impasses by facilitating a peaceful dialogue.

Twists, Turns & Takeaways: Improving Divorce Outcomes Through Tax Awareness

Speaker: Mark A. Josephson, Esq., CPA, CFP, CFE, CGMA, and Jay Mota, MAFF®,CDFA®, CFP®, CQS®, ChFC®, WMCP®
Introducer: ???
(1.5 CLEs, CEs Pending) 

This presentation provides a practical framework for divorce professionals to understand how tax mechanics impact equitable distribution, support negotiations, and long-term cash flow, allowing them to spot financial red flags, and to know when to engage a financial expert to protect their clients. It covers key topics like depreciation, capital loss carryforwards, filing status, and the new tax laws. By focusing on after-tax results and translating complex tax rules into clear settlement strategies, this presentation equips professionals to reduce conflict, improve transparency, and help parties reach more informed, durable, and amicable resolutions.

Key Takeaways

- Prioritize After-Tax Net Worth: Move past gross asset values to evaluate settlements based on true economic outcomes and long-term liquidity.

- Identify Financial Red Flags: Learn to analyze client disclosures for "silent" tax liabilities, including basis issues and recapture risks in real estate or business assets.

- Master Modern Tax Mechanics: Navigate the impact of the latest tax laws on filing statuses (e.g., Head of Household) and the strategic use of capital loss carryforwards.

- Bridge the Literacy Gap: Gain practical tools to interpret W-2s, distinguish between ordinary income and capital gains, and calculate effective tax rates to model realistic future cash flow.

- Enhance Settlement Durability: Reduce the risk of post-divorce disputes by ensuring all parties understand the net impact of their final agreement.

Sponsored Cocktail Reception

Dinner

Professional Comedy Show

Awards Ceremony 

Thursday, April 30, 2026, 6:30 pm 

The Centered Mediator: Mindfulness Tools to Preserve Energy, Reduce Reactivity & Cultivate Grounded Communication

Speaker: Courtney Schulnick, Esq.
Moderator: ???
(1 CLE and CE Pending) 

Divorce mediation is uniquely demanding. Whether you are a mediator, an attorney, financial neutral, mental health professional or allied divorce professional, you carry extraordinary responsibility. You hold not only families, but also the dynamics of the professionals involved in the process.
Mediators must skillfully hold multiple emotional landscapes at once: foremost the clients’ grief, anger, uncertainty, or cultural complexities. At the same time, mediators are monitoring their own internal responses, biases, and nervous-system activation. This multidirectional emotional load makes the mediator’s grounded presence essential.

This experiential workshop introduces mindfulness as a professional skill that strengthens emotional steadiness, preserves neutrality, and helps mediators avoid taking on the conflict energy in the room. Participants will explore the ways in which the nervous system responds to stress, how even the most highly skilled practitioners can be impacted by other people’s emotions, and how mindfulness restores clarity, presence, and choice under pressure.

We will examine:

- How mediators can regulate their own nervous system in real time

- How mediator presence influences both attorneys and their clients

- How to stay balanced amidst competing perspectives and escalating emotion

- Mindfulness as a tool for multicultural sensitivity, attunement, and relational steadiness

- Techniques to prevent emotional exhaustion and maintain long-term resilience

- Research demonstrating how mindfulness reduces reactivity and enhances conflict-resolution outcomes

- Practical tools to help attorneys and clients settle, communicate, and collaborate more effectively

Attendees will experience a guided grounding meditation practice, explore mindful communication techniques, and learn fast, reliable on-the-spot strategies they can use during sessions to preserve energy, maintain neutrality, and create a calmer, more collaborative environment for all parties.
Everyone will leave with practical tools they can use immediately, supporting both their professional effectiveness and their personal well-being.

Wake Up Your Website!
Why Your Online Presence Matters More Than Ever in 2026

Speakers: Kevin Clark, Esq., and Nicolas Crocitto, Co-chairs of Public Awareness Committee,
Liz Vaz, Esq., and Alex Clark
Moderator: ???
(1.5 CLEs and CEs Pending)

Your website is your organization’s front door and often the first and most important impression you make. This session will show you how to get the most out of your website by showing up where potential clients are searching and guiding them toward the services they’re looking for.

Key Takeaways

- Discover best practices in website design that attract clients, make it easier for them to choose you, and improve their overall experience on your site.

- Understand how leveraging backlinks, professional networks, and collaborative content help increase visibility on Google.

- Learn what SEO actually is in simplified terms and why it’s not as mysterious as it seems. We will also explore how getting help with SEO can significantly benefit your mediation practice and help the families we serve to find you.

- The Public Awareness Committee is also offering a complimentary one-on-one review of your website with recommendations for quick and actionable improvements.

- Learn simple, practical SEO steps that anyone can use and make simple, meaningful updates that increase your impact.

- Discover how to improve visitor experience and guide users to the information they need.

Attacking and Defending Trust Assets in Divorce: What Mediators Need to Understand 

Speaker: Sharon L. Klein
Moderator: ???

Description: Draft under review.

Key Takeaways:

Lunch & Annual Meeting

Friday, May 1, 2026 ~ 11:45 am to 1:45 pm

President's Report

Treasurer's Report

Election Results

Member Town Hall 

Mediating in the Face of Financial Betrayal

Speaker: Ivy H. Menchel, CFP®, CDFA®, CBEC®, WFAA®, and Andrea Vacca, Esq.
Moderator:  ???
(1.5 CLEs, CEs Pending) 

Financial Betrayal can occur for many different reasons. Not all of which arise out of an intention to harm. This program will define what financial betrayal is and how mediators, collaborative professionals and a divorce team who is committed to keeping their clients out of court should deal with it. Financial betrayal will significantly affect a marriage and will certainly impact the divorce process or postnuptial agreement process. As a divorce specialist, the progress of the case will be hampered unless you recognize the issues and address them so that both parties feel comfortable enough to proceed.

Key Takeaways

- Recognize financial betrayal.

- Understand the impact of financial betrayal on the marriage and the divorce process.

- Develop tools to help clients feel safer as they negotiate postnuptial or divorce agreements.

What's Happening in the Room? Integrating Trauma-Informed Practices into Family Mediation

Speaker: Genesis Fisher, Esq.
Moderator: ???
(1.5 CLEs, CEs Pending) 

Divorce represents one of life's most profound disruptions, affecting not just legal status but fundamental issues of identity, belonging, and security. This session explores how understanding trauma responses enhances mediator effectiveness, builds necessary trust, and facilitates meaningful resolution in family disputes. Through interactive lecture and group problem-solving exercises, participants will learn to recognize diverse trauma responses, understand how emotions function as essential data in mediation, and develop strategies for addressing our clients' most vulnerable moments. This is not about being therapists—it's about enhancing our mediation skills to navigate the emotional and layered landscape of family dissolution.

Key Takeaways

- Trauma-informed practices are essential for effective mediation. Understanding trauma responses enables mediators to build the trust necessary for successful resolution, challenge parties appropriately without re-traumatizing them, and facilitate creative problem-solving that addresses parties' actual needs.

- Psychological safety is crucial in family mediation and requires continuous monitoring throughout the mediation process.

- Emotions are data, not obstacles. Recognizing and working with the emotional landscape of divorce provides essential information about parties' positions, priorities, and potential pathways to resolution.

NEW Title TBD: From the Courtroom to the Mediation Table: Legal Trends Divorce Mediators Need to Know - or - 

Speakers: 
Moderator: 
(2 CLEs and CEs Pending)

NEW DESCRIPTION TBD - perhaps -

Family law in New York is evolving in real time—and mediators and practitioners need to keep pace. In this fast-moving session, professionals from Western, Central, and Downstate New York who regularly work with the courts will break down recent matrimonial law decisions shaping custody and parenting arrangements, child support and maintenance, and equitable distribution.
Through practical insights and real-world implications, the panel will explore how these rulings are being applied on the ground, along with the ethical and confidentiality challenges that frequently arise. Expect a lively, region-spanning conversation that translates case law into actionable guidance you can use immediately.

Prior Description - Members from Western, Central, and Downstate New York, who work with the courts, will share insights on recent mat-law cases and decisions specifically focusing on custody and parenting arrangements, child support and maintenance obligations, and equitable distribution of assets. Additionally, ethics, confidentially issues and other assorted topics will be addressed. Beyond case law, this session also will address critical topics such as ethical considerations, confidentiality challenges, and other nuanced issues. Participants can expect a comprehensive and engaging exploration of the latest legal trends and practical strategies to navigate these complex matters effectively.

Sponsored Cocktail Reception

Dinner

Dance with Doc Scanlan's Band

Friday, May 1, 2026 6:30 pm

Understanding and Maintaining Mediator Neutrality: 
Challenges and Best Practices

Speaker: Christopher M. Kwok, Esq.
Moderator: ???
(1 CLE and CE Pending) 

This program examines the foundational principle of mediator neutrality and explores the practical challenges mediators face in maintaining impartiality throughout the mediation process. Participants will explore:

- The distinction between neutrality, impartiality, and even-handedness in mediation practice

- The mediator's inherent interest in achieving settlement and how this affects the neutrality calculus

- Balancing neutrality toward the parties with the
mediator's investment in reaching resolution

- Recognizing personal biases (cultural, experiential, outcome-oriented) and developing strategies to step outside of them during the mediation process

- Self-awareness techniques and real-time bias checks mediators can employ

- Strategies for managing personal biases and maintaining credibility with all parties while actively facilitating settlement

- The intersection of neutrality with the mediator's duty to ensure procedural fairness

- Balancing neutrality with reality-testing and evaluative techniques that push toward settlement.

Cyber AI Session

Speakers: 
Moderator: 
Saturday, May 2, 2026 ~ 8:30 am to 10 am 
(1.5 CLEs and CEs Pending)

Description 

Key Takeaways:

Voice of Teens

Speakers: 
Moderator: 
Saturday, April 26, 2025 ~ 8:30 am to 10 am
(1.5 CLEs and CEs Pending)

Description 

 Key takeaways:

You Asked For It!
Casual Lunch to Reconnect, Recap & Reinvigorate!

Saturday, May 2, 2026 ~ 12 pm to 1 pm  (Or hang out longer if you like!)

You've asked for more time during the conference to catch up with longtime colleagues and build bonds with new friends. Our closing lunch will give you focused time to socialize, discuss business, recap highlights from the conference - whatever you like. As you hit the road home and go back to helping clients, you will do so inspired and reinvigorated. Boxed lunches will be provided so you have the option of eating lunch in the hotel, going outside for a picnic, or heading home with some nourishment. Anyone wanting to reserve a table (committees, peer groups, practice areas, etc.) please contact [email protected]

Focus on YOUR Self Care and Healing

Yoga, sound baths, nature walks and other opportunities throughout the conference to take time to take care of yourself. 

Business Expo

Promote your products and services to attendees Thursday, April 24, through Saturday, April 26. To promote your business click here. 

NYSDRA MEMBERS and MEMBERS OF OTHER STATE ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO NOT PRACTICE IN NEW YORK, are eligible for NYSCDM member rates. Government and court employees are eligible for member rates as well. Please email [email protected] 


CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION: “New York State Council on Divorce Mediation has been certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board as an Accredited Provider of continuing legal education in the State of New York through July 24, 2025. CLE credits will be earned depending on sessions attended. All sessions are suitable for newly appointed and experienced attorneys. Continuing Education credits are provided for beginning and advanced mediators." [email protected]  

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS for social workers are pending. 

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS for mediators and allied professionals will be provided for all sessions by NYSCDM.

FINANCIAL SPONSORSHIP: NYSCDM’s Financial sponsorship policy is available upon written request. To apply, write Connie Fraser at Crossbridge Office Park, 2000 S. Winton Road, Bldg. 4, Suite 305, Rochester, New York 14618 [email protected]

REFUNDS: For requests received via email by April 15, refunds will be granted as follows: amount paid, less a $75 administrative fee. Thereafter, no refunds will be granted. In the case of Covid-19, refunds or credits will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

ACCESSIBILITY: If you have any requirements for accessibility or other needs, please let us know on the event registration form or contact [email protected] 

DIETARY ACCOMMODATIONS: If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know on the event registration form or contact [email protected]

SCHEDULING: All efforts were made to ensure the accuracy of the schedule. If there are any unforeseen changes, all efforts will be made to provide replacement speakers or sessions that are equally dynamic.

PHOTOGRAPHY,  VIDEOGRAPHY & RECORDING: By registering and/or attending the NYSCDM Annual Conference, you are providing your consent to be photographed, videoed or otherwise recorded. Such content will be used at the discretion of the Council on websites, on social media platforms, in printed materials, and via other media assets. By physically attending and participating in the conference, you are waiving and releasing any claims related to the use of your likeness at the event. Currently, there are no plans to record or simulcast conference sessions. If that changes, this policy will cover that activity. 

HEALTH AND SAFETY - The Council encourages all attendees to use their best judgment and appropriate precautions while attending this event. Currently there are no restrictions on gatherings in New York State. Should anything change, we will notify you. If you feel more comfortable wearing masks, practicing safe distancing or taking other precautions while attending the event, please feel free to do so. The Council will work with the hotel provide reasonable accommodations and use best health and safety practices for all attendees.

ADVERTISING AND SPONSORSHIP POLICY - As a 501(c)(3) organization, the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation (NYSCDM) does not accept advertisements promoting political, religious, or ideological views. This policy ensures that all advertising content aligns with our mission to maintain an unbiased and professional environment for all members. NYSCDM reserves the right to accept or reject any advertisement submitted for publication for any reason. NYSCDM also reserves the right to remove any advertisement at any time if it does not meet with our standards, violates our policies, or is deemed inappropriate or inconsistent with our values. NYSCDM is not obligated to provide an explanation for the rejection or removal of any advertisement. 

By registering for this event, you hereby acknowledge and agree to the following:

1) The NYSCDM will follow New York State laws regulating events. At this time, there are no requirements for proof of vaccinations for Covid-19;

2) If you are not feeling well during the time of the event, due to any illness, you will use appropriate precautions to protect the health of other event attendees, which might include wearing a mask, safe distancing, not attending event sessions, etc.;

3) You are aware that there are inherent risks and hazards connected with attending in-person events that cannot be eliminated regardless of the care taken and you assume the risk of such risks, including, but not limited to, the potential of being infected with COVID-19;

4) Understanding the inherent risks, you are electing to voluntarily attend the event; and

5) You release the Council from any and all liability arising out of or relating to any injury or illnesses (including COVID-19) sustained by you while participating in or attending the event, including while in, on, or upon the premises where the event is being conducted, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.