Have you ever been in a conflicted situation and not known what to do? Have you ever wondered why you got so upset at that congregational meeting? Have you ever spent too long avoiding a painful issue? If so, this week long educational track is for you.

Over the course of five days, participants will explore how to position oneself when anxiety is flowing in a congregation. We will explore the value of conflict and how it can deepen relationships and clarify values. We will consider how we can turn to wonder and productively have difficult conversations, cultural differences in conflict expression and management, and how we can calm and sustain ourselves before, during, and after heated conversations and distressing events.

The course will use methods from Bowen Family System Theory, Parker Palmer’s Circles of Trust, Somatic Theory (physical responses to tough situations and how to calm the body when needed), Mediation Training, culturally attuned Conflict Transformation work, and the Kolb Experiential Learning Model. Participants will have a chance to privately explore how family origin and personal identities impact adult responses to conflict, as well as how to build a personal conflict navigation toolkit. The course includes lecture, journaling, small group work, resource sharing, optional additional readings, and simple somatic relief techniques. Learnings from this course can be used in your own family, at work, in congregations, and anywhere you go where conflict appears (everywhere!).

When: Monday, July 6, 2026
Time: Daily, M-F, July 6-10 from 9:50-11:50 A.M., CST (During MUUSA)
Where: Midwest UU Summer Assembly, Ripon, WI 54971

Registration Deadline: July 3, 2026
Midwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Assembly

Register Online!

Your Presenters: QuianaDenae Perkins and Sharon Dittmar

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