Zeytoonian Center Welcomes Dr. Cathy Heenan to Dispute Resolution Team

- Communications coach and trainer guides individuals and organizations to improved dialogue, understanding and conflict resolution -

Wellesley Hills and Westborough, Mass. – May 27, 2009 – Dr. Cathy Heenan has joined the Zeytoonian Center for Dispute Resolution. Dr. Heenan will work with the Center’s attorneys, financial planners and other collaboratively-trained professionals to provide dispute resolution without litigation for both family law and business clients through the collaborative process and serve as a communications coach and consultant to business organizations.

Collaborative law is especially well-suited to divorces where clients will co-parent together as well as other situations where preserving on going relationships is important. This is one of several reasons why the collaborative process is used to solve business problems, such as employment and contractual disputes.

Dr. Heenan brings together communication and psychology to help couples through divorce and guide organizations through conflict and transitions. She coaches them in methods that improve dialogue, helping them to emphasize behaviors that create pathways to understanding, respect for differences, and resolution of conflicts. As a member of a team of collaborative law professionals, Dr. Heenan serves as a neutral advocate for the collaborative process, coaching the client, attorneys and all other parties involved. Her role is to help identify interests and goals, facilitate communication and reduce misunderstandings. She also coaches business and family clients in the management of intense feelings to reduce conflict, and provides specific tools and practical strategies to move through obstacles when they occur.

“Cathy’s skills are not only valuable in resolving divorce cases, but also as a consultant or coach in cases involving business, employment or probate disputes where preserving relationships and enhancing communications are important,” said Center founding member Michael Zeytoonian. “Her awareness of the critical role of effective communication and her ability to bring people together provides real value in resolving conflicts.”

Previously an assistant professor of Communications at Northeastern University, Dr. Heenan is a licensed psychologist and is active in the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). As a trainer, Dr. Heenan has made presentations on a variety of communication topics including “The Art of Listening”, “Moving Through Impasse” and “Effective Communication Skills” at interdisciplinary venues in the US and Europe, including the Second European Conference in Cork, Ireland in 2008. In January 2009, Dr. Heenan and attorney Rita Pollak led a highly-popular three-day interdisciplinary collaborative training session on Collaborative Practice for fifty attendees in the Netherlands. Due to the program’s success and the high level of interest among the collaborative law community in the Netherlands, Heenan and Pollak provided an additional training program in the Netherlands on April 20-22, 2009 as well as a follow-up session for January attendees on April 24.

“Coaching on effective communications, including listening skills, helps those involved in disputes gain a better understanding of how to work through impasse,” said Dr. Heenan. “In between our presentations in Cork, Ireland last year, Michael and I discussed at length the powerful dynamic of the collaborative process in building trust and restoring relationships in any type of dispute. Working together in collaborative settlement negotiations, we have found that everyone – parties, attorneys and other collaborative team members alike – recognize the value of an interdisciplinary approach to developing a good resolution.”

A resident of Newton, Mass., Dr. Heenan has authored and co-authored books and articles including Preparing, Designing and Leading Workshops: A Humanistic Approach and Active Listening: Keys to Productive Negotiation.

Dr. Heenan received her BA from the University of Wisconsin in 1967, her MA in Communications from Emerson College in 1969, and her EdD in Counseling Psychology from Boston University in 1982.

About the Zeytoonian Center for Dispute Resolution, LLC

The Zeytoonian Center for Dispute Resolution provides legal and dispute resolution services that are preventive, proactive, efficient and collaborative. Our early intervention services work proactively to help clients anticipate problems that arise in organizations and put policies, procedures and training programs in place to engage, manage and diffuse problems and prevent them from escalating into disputes or claims. Utilizing the talents of lawyers, mediators, expert consultants and coaches, our dispute resolution services are designed to efficiently offer the kind of advocacy that protects clients’ rights, educates them on the best approach to their dispute, and helps them achieve a resolution that satisfies their interests. The Center has offices in Wellesley Hills and Westborough, Mass.

For more information, please visit www.zeytooniancenter.com or contact the Zeytoonian Center at (781) 489-2270.

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