Faculty from UMA and the Technical University of Liberec (TUL) in the Czech Republic recently teamed up to offer an interdisciplinary webinar on mentalization in mediation, advancing a long-standing international partnership that helps students experience new perspectives without leaving home.
On November 6, Sharon McMahon Sawyer, associate professor of Justice Studies, and Magda Nisponska, professor of Pedagogics and Psychology at TUL, led a session sponsored by the Maine Agricultural Mediation Program of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Thirty-five practicing mediators attended from across the country, including current and former UMA Mediation Certificate students.
The webinar introduced mentalization, a skill that helps mediators understand behavior through the lens of underlying thoughts, emotions, needs and intentions. Participants explored how brain development and neuroscience inform effective mediation practice and how stress can limit problem-solving. The session highlighted the science behind modeling calm, grounded communication in difficult conversations.
Sawyer and Nisponska have collaborated since 2011 through in-person exchanges, shared teaching and research, and UMA’s growing participation in Collaborative Online International Learning. Their work reflects UMA’s commitment to expanding access to global learning experiences and preparing students for the complex, people-centered challenges of today’s workforce. Their continued partnership brings international insight into the UMA classroom and strengthens a learning community built on collaboration, inclusivity and opportunity.