Personality Disorders: Lunch & Learn Series Part 4/4

MN Board of CLE - pending

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify common high-conflict personality patterns and understand how they can affect communication, trust, and decision-making in mediation or arbitration.

2. Respond effectively to aggressive behavior by using calming techniques, setting clear boundaries, and guiding conversations in a structured way to keep the process safe and productive.

3. Work productively with rigid or inflexible parties by asking thoughtful questions, reframing issues, and breaking problems into manageable steps to help move discussions forward.

4. Address self-focused or low-empathy behavior without taking sides—acknowledging concerns while maintaining fairness to everyone involved.

5. Recognize when to seek support from colleagues and know how to use consultation to strengthen your judgment, maintain neutrality, and make sound ethical decisions.

Providing ADR Services When Personality Disorders Are a Factor

This program focuses on the unique challenges and considerations involved in providing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services when personality disorders or significant personality traits influence conflict. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how these dynamics affect negotiation, mediation readiness, emotional regulation, and the capacity for constructive problem-solving. The training integrates both legal and mental health lenses to highlight best practices, ethical considerations, and strategies for maintaining structure, neutrality, and safety throughout the ADR process. Designed for interdisciplinary professionals, this session equips attendees to anticipate barriers, reduce escalation, and facilitate more effective, durable resolutions in complex, high-conflict cases.

For Legal Professionals:

Attending this program will help you navigate the complexities of mediation and other ADR processes when personality disorders shape communication, negotiation behavior, and conflict intensity. You’ll learn structured, practical strategies to maintain neutrality, reduce impasse, and guide clients toward more realistic and sustainable agreements.

For Mental Health Professionals:

This training will strengthen your ability to recognize how personality-driven dynamics influence parties’ emotional readiness, flexibility, and engagement in ADR. You’ll gain concrete tools to support regulation, manage escalations, and collaborate effectively with legal professionals to promote safer, more productive dispute resolution.

Speakers Bios:

Jordan Wulf is a Family Divorce Mediator, Parenting Consultant, and Co-Parenting Coach with over twenty years of experience supporting families through change and transitions. Her work centers on helping parents navigate post-separation and post-divorce parenting challenges, resolve complex parenting disputes, and develop clear, child-focused co-parenting plans that support children’s emotional well-being across developmental stages.

Ms. Wulf brings a strong foundation in child development and family systems, holding a Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Studies, along with extensive experience in child development and family support. She is listed on the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Roster of Qualified Neutrals and is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC).

Her approach is grounded in neutrality, clarity, and efficiency, with a focus on reducing conflict, preventing unnecessary litigation, and helping families reach realistic, sustainable parenting agreements. Jordan is known for her ability to balance empathy with structure, supporting parents through emotionally charged decisions while keeping the focus on children’s needs and long-term family functioning.

Dr. Kent Kodalen is a clinical psychologist and ADR professional in private practice (Eagan, MN). A licensed psychologist (Minnesota), he provides therapeutic services and support for children, adolescents, adults, and families. The majority of Dr. Kodalen’s clinical work centers around helping families navigate separation and divorce, especially when high conflict dynamics are present. As an ADR provider and Qualified Neutral under Rule 114, he also provides Parenting Consulting, Child Inclusive Mediation, Parent Coaching, Brief Psychological Evaluation, Parent-Child Relationship Repair, SENE, and Mediation services.

Dr. Kodalen earned his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology (specialization in Neuropsychology) from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. He applies his expertise in lifespan development, individual and family systems assessment, parenting skill training, and mindfulness-based interventions to provide empirically validated treatments that help individuals and families move out of conflict and gain greater control over their individual and collective choices. He is an active member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), and contributes to the family law community through training, supervision, and presentations.