WHO WE ARE
Our Mission:
To support families and eldercare professionals in resolving conflicts related to aging and making informed decisions about the future of their senior loved ones.
Katharina W. Dress, MA
Principal Mediator, Facilitator, Conflict Coach, Trainer
Katharina grew up as the youngest of six children born over a span of twenty years. From early on she was aware that her parents were aging. So when she passed the middle of her own life, she decided to embark on an encore career as an Elderly or Adult Family Conflict Resolution professional.
Katharina earned a Master’s Degree in Communications from San Francisco State University in 1989 and since 2005 received extensive mediation, facilitation and conflict coaching training, including certifications in Elder Mediation and Online Mediation. In addition, she brings 15 years of training and experience in Compassionate Communication (based on Marshall Rosenberg’s model of Nonviolent Communication) to her professional and personal lives.
During 40+ years as a facilitator, Katharina has guided large community-based organizations through highly emotional meetings and supported families facing challenging decisions about Eldercare issues. She also is an experienced trainer and coach offering classes and workshops for individuals and organizations to teach them skills in intercultural and/or compassionate communication, conflict management and resolution on the journey of aging.
Katharina is a member of the American Society on Aging (ASA) and actively involved in the Elder Mediation Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR).
To learn how her life journey led her to become an Elderly Family Conflict Resolution professional, listen to her conversation with her mediation partner Duncan Autrey, host of Fractal Friends.
Duncan Autrey
Mediator, Conflict Transformation Facilitator and Educator
Growing up in a blended family where everyone did not get along, Duncan Autrey learned about the pains of family conflict as a young child. Seeing the value of family harmony and understanding, he dedicated his life to learning and teaching the skills we need to build bridges across our differences.
To date Duncan has grown into being a conflict transformation facilitator and educator with over 20 years of international experience. He has a Master’s Degree in International Peace & Conflict Studies from the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2012) and is a Rotary World Peace Fellow.
Now, with two pairs of parents in their 70s, Duncan recently decided to bring the focus of his life’s work full circle. In 2021 he added a certification in Elderly Family Conflict Resolution to his extensive credentials in mediation, facilitation, and conflict management.
The constant in Duncan’s work is his lifelong dedication to helping people communicate across their differences. Duncan understands that family are the people who we are in relationship with no matter what happens and no matter our differences, and he wants to help you make the most of it.
