Services and Support

The Office of Conflict Resolution (OCR) is grounded in trauma-informed, cultural-relational and cultural-humility approaches to help move individuals, departments, offices, organizations and groups toward a culture of care, respect and resolution. 

Services

Services offer tangible, one-time or recurring support to individuals, student groups, employees (staff, faculty, administrators) and campus units. These offerings are designed to foster change and positively influence systems that support conflict resolution. Services may be proactive, focused on prevention or reactive, addressing issues as they arise. 

• Conflict Assessment
  A collaborative process using formal or informal climate surveys and other data to identify “hot spots” and emerging or trending themes that increase the potential for conflict within an office, department, organization or group on campus.
• Consultation
  A collaborative process that provides an opportunity to discuss a particular concern or situation that impacts the learning, living and working environment for individuals seeking insight or guidance regarding how to address or resolve conflicts.
• Information Session
  A session that provides detailed information about OCR, including what we do, how we support the campus and how to access services.
• Intake
  The initial meeting between OCR staff and individuals seeking assistance. The appointment is used to gather information about the reported concerns and to discuss OCR’s process and next potential steps.
• Review & Assessment (R&A)
  A thorough examination of relevant and related information associated with an identified conflict, a specific incident or a pattern of behavior within an office, department, group or organization.
• Strategy Development
  A collaborative process that examines emerging themes and trends, identified as conflictual, within an office, department, organization or group. OCR staff and the individual develop a “living” plan of action designed to resolve conflict or mitigate patterns of conflict.
• Training and Professional Development
  Workshops, clinics or seminars are designed, developed and curated for a department, office, organization or group that focus on an emerging theme or pattern that might result in conflict or how to manage conflict that negatively affects the learning, working and living environment at CSUSM.  
   

Support

Support includes both practical resources and relational guidance, provided on an ongoing basis to staff, students, faculty, administrators, and departments. It is primarily reactive, addressing immediate needs and helping to resolve specific conflicts as they arise.

• Community Conversation
  Curated and structured conversations facilitated by OCR staff. The goal is to create an opportunity for voices to be heard related to specific concerns, and if possible, resolutions identified and recommendations made.
• Conflict Coaching
  Focused engagement between OCR staff and an individual or group. The goal is to support individuals or groups in a manner that resolves or reduces the impact of conflict and advances relationships.
• Consultation
  OCR staff, individuals or groups meet to discuss concerns that negatively affect the learning, living and working environment. The goal is to determine the next steps and provide strategies to address the conflict and confidently move forward.
• Dialogue
  A collaborative and structured conversation between OCR staff and individuals involved in a conflict. The goal is to identify, address and/or resolve conflicts.
• Capacity Building and Coaching (CBC)
  OCR staff work with administrators, supervisors and others in leadership roles on campus. The goal is to help leaders understand how they lead and the impact of their leadership, as well as how to develop their leadership capacity. 
• Mediation Services
  Conciliatory services offered by OCR staff to individuals and groups to help resolve or mitigate conflict.

Join the Effort

Become a Resolution Ambassador

Resolution Ambassadors are trained faculty, staff and students who offer peer support and guidance in moments of conflict. Serving as an extension of the Office of Conflict Resolution, ambassadors help de-escalate issues and promote understanding across campus. Their presence empowers students to navigate conflict with confidence and access meaningful support when it matters most. Email OCR for more information.