Shifting Sands
Jodie is the Director of Shifting Sands, whose purpose is supporting people, their organisations and communities to navigate changing relationships.
Jodie brings unique insight, extensive skills and knowledge to counselling, conflict resolution and structured facilitative negotiation techniques. Through the dual lens of highly specialised clinical expertise and experience together with excellence in professional training and personal growth and development, Jodie uses her creativity to tailor options and services for individuals and families. Simultaneously holding clinical practice and training roles, leading and supporting professional best practice, Jodie also works as a coach, Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) clinical supervisor, and restorative engagement facilitator/direct personal response facilitator.
- Jodie is a highly skilled and knowledgeable family dispute resolution practitioner (FDRP) with nearly 20 years as a mediator.
- Since 2003, she has worked in the field of training, education and professional development, including academia, tertiary, vocational and short courses – running both specialised and general courses (accredited and non-accredited), specifically in FDR and mediation, including tailored and bespoke programs and professional development, within the not-for-profit sector, government and community services, welfare, education and legal services fields. She contracts for many tertiary institutions, teaching in the specialised area of Dispute Resolution.
- Since 2014, Jodie has worked in restorative justice with those experiencing abuse/victims of abuse, as a specialist restorative engagement facilitator for the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce (currently the Commonwealth Ombudsman – DEFENCE) and under the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse.
Jodie has contributed widely to the field of ADR, including:
- Contributor to Lang, Michael and Nicholson, Peter (eds) Living Together Separating Divorcing Surviving during a Pandemic, 2020
- Co-opted to the Australian Dispute Resolution Advisory Council Inc (ADRAC) working group tasked with preparing ADRAC’S submission, Australian Law Reform Commission – Review of the Family Law System: Response by ADRAC to Issues Paper 48, March 2018
- Gutman, Judy and Grant, Jodie, ‘Ethical Conundrums Facing Mediators: Comparing Processes, Identifying Challenges and Opportunities’, 35(1) Law in Context 101; La Trobe University Law School – Law & Justice Research Paper Series, Paper No. 1707, 2017
- Presenter – various seminars for Victorian Association for Dispute Resolution, Victorian Association for Restorative Justice and Resolution Institute
- Presenter, National Mediation Conference Queensland 2016 and National Mediation Conference Canberra 2019
- Presenter, ADR Ethics for Practitioners Symposium, La Trobe University, Victorian Dispute Settlement Centre, 2015
- Mediator, ‘Mediation Practice’, DVD, Relationships Australia Victoria Production, 2006
