Debriefing in peacemaking and conflict resolution practice: models of emergent learning and practitioner support

Abstract

This paper examines four models of debriefing practices applied by the team of authors in settings working with conflict resolution and peacemaking practitioners. It examines the effectiveness of these methods in particular, and of the practice of debriefing as a reflective tool in the context of peacemaking practice. All research was conducted as part of an Applied Practice and Theory team, under the supervision of Dr. Susan Allen, at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. IntroductionThe concept of reflective practice has been central to conflict resolution practice and peacemaking for many years, resulting in the development and promotion of numerous methodologies and tools for engaging in such reflective processes. The concept of reflective practice in this field is most commonly attributed to Donald Schön, whose works The Reflective Practitioner and Educating the Reflective Practitioner have been widely applied to conflict resolution education and practice, however, applications of reflective practice in peacemaking and conflict resolution have also been articulated in the works of John Paul Lederach and Wallace Warfield, among others. This paper will engage in an exploration of one such tool: reflective debriefing. It will examine several structural processes for debriefing in conflict resolution practice, as explored by the team of authors over a one-year time span in which four debriefing approaches were piloted with conflict resolution practitioners either singly or in groups, discuss benefits and drawbacks of these approaches, and engage in a wider exploration of the applicability of reflective debriefing processes for the peacemaking and conflict resolution field moving forward.Debriefing can be understood in this context as both a space and a process that provides opportunities for reflection. It is useful to think about debriefing not only as a process of interaction, but also as a structure, in that it provides a set space and time for reflection and processing to occur. Many of the conflict resolution and

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