This in-depth workshop, led by registered social worker and psychotherapist David Grant, explores the essential distinctions between mental health, mental distress, and mental illness and why these differences matter profoundly in family dispute resolution (FDR). Drawing on clinical experience, cultural analysis, and contemporary research, David provides a clear framework for identifying mental health concerns, understanding how they manifest in cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and spiritual domains, and recognizing when everyday stress crosses into clinical territory.

Participants will learn how culture shapes clients’ understanding of mental wellness, stigma, help-seeking, and symptom expression—an especially important consideration when offering resources or interpreting behaviour in mediation. The workshop also offers accessible overviews of major mental illnesses, including mood disorders, anxiety, depressive disorders, trauma-related conditions such as PTSD, and personality disorders, with an emphasis on real-world examples relevant to separation, parenting disputes, and conflict dynamics.

Through practical scenarios and clinical insights, this session equips FDR professionals to better understand how mental health challenges may influence a party’s communication, decision-making, emotional regulation, and engagement in mediation. This workshop is an invaluable resource for mediators, parenting coordinators, arbitrators, and anyone supporting families navigating conflict.