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Dr. Rheta Rosen, Ph.D.
Expanding my career through Older Family Mediation is a natural extension of my many years as a Family Sociologist, a Professor of Family Studies, coordinator of the Gerontology Certificate, the developer of the Family Life Education Certificate, co-developer of the Family Supports Certificate at Ryerson University, and a researcher into intergenerational relationships in the older family.
From my Ph.D. research into “Mother Daughter Exchange Relations in the Older Family” (see C.V. 1987), I became very aware that older parents needed more understanding of how to parent their middle aged and older children. The models of parenting they used when their children were younger no longer had relevance for interaction with their adult children. With this insight and with a grant received from Health Canada, and with the co-operation of the Education Director at Bernard Betel Centre for Creative Living an educational program was developed to expose older adults to new ways of communicating with their adult children.
From this an Educational Program for Older Parents (60 +)was developed to identify more relevant models for parenting middle aged children. And a manual was produced that was made available to family educators across Canada. (see link to parts of this manual on the home page of this web cite).
Several years ago I realized that the next step in this older family story was to pursue training in Family Mediation. I became aware that there is a great need for mediation with middle aged children and their parents around decision affecting their older parents. At these critical times when adult children come together to participate in these issues much of the unfinished business among them, that existed in the past, that was put on the back burner as they were involved in raising their own children is revisited. In this rejoining of families it is frequently very difficult to resolve issues because of the older scripts.
I realized from the Family Mediation and Dispute Resolution courses that I took and my extensive background as a sociologist understanding families that, older family mediation was an important next step for me in assisting older parents and their children overcome and avoid potentially difficult conflict situations. If these issues can be resolved positively, so that there is a win/win/ outcome for everyone, so that everyone is heard, parents and children will be able to interact positively and creatively in future decision making situations.
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