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Hello CDSC Friends.
As I settle into being CDSCs Interim Executive Director, I want to thank our staff and board members for the warm welcome (and their patience as I learn the acronyms and get up to speed). Pedro Spivakovsky-Gonzalez has been generous with his time, ensuring a smooth transition even as he begins his new role. My goal is for this leadership transition to have no discernable impact on the important work we do every day.
Our Board of Directors hired Bradford Lee LLC to lead the search for our next Executive Director. We need your help finding just the right person. The opportunity profile will be posted our website by mid-April, and we would be grateful if you share it widely. Plus, if you are interested in the role or know someone who should be considered, please reach out to Murray Lee and Karen Bradford. Under the guidance of the board’s search committee, their plan is to cast a wide net to ensure a deep and diverse pool of applicants.
If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to touch base, please don’t hesitate to email me at marty@communitydispute.org. I look forward to working with you in the months ahead.
April 2 Roundtable Reminder
Interested in attending our next roundtable?
Join us on April 2 at 1:30 p.m. for When Neutrality Isn’t Enough: Mediating High-Conflict Personalities, led by Joy Qiao.
Click here to sign up.
MOPC State Funding
CDSC along with the 11 other community mediation centers across Massachusetts receive grant funding from the state via the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration. With these funds, the 12 centers and MOPC provide critically needed affordable and accessible services and public programs focused on housing stabilization, youth empowerment, recidivism reduction, family stability, child welfare, consumer protection, and other community priorities in partnership with courts, public agencies, and local organizations.
The Governor filed her proposed FY27 budget in January and allocated $2,813,465 for the Community Mediation Center Grant Program.
Unfortunately, she did not restore the $400,000 that was cut from the program in FY25 and FY26. MOPC’s FY27 request of $3,213,465 seeks reinstatement of those funds in order to restore staffing levels and relieve case backlogs.
The state’s House of Representatives and Senate are now considering what they will propose for FY27. We are working with our legislative allies to restore these funds so our programs can operate sustainably.
Lessons from Our Self-Care Roundtables: Making Self-Care Part of the Practice
By Bhagyashree Sonwane
During two CDSC roundtables, we explored an important topic that often goes unspoken: the impact of caring work on those who provide it. Sessions on secondary trauma led by Erin Miller and the cost of caring presented by Professor Wendy Knight highlighted that engaging deeply with others’ experiences, particularly trauma, can affect our emotional, physical, and professional well-being. Secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout are natural responses to sustained caring work and reflect the human connection at the center of our roles.
Both sessions emphasized that self-care is not a luxury, but an active practice that protects well-being and sustains effectiveness. Approaches may include monitoring physical, psychological, emotional, relational, and professional needs; setting boundaries; seeking support or supervision; and developing intentional plans that address mind, body, and spirit. Organizational culture and leadership also play an important role in creating conditions that support resilience and balance.
As CDSC continues these conversations, we are reminded that caring for ourselves strengthens our ability to care for others and sustain meaningful work over time. Continuing to share strategies and support one another strengthens both our work and our community.
For more information:
Erin Miller’s presentation materials are here.
Wendy Knight’s presentation materials are here.
Follow Us!
We launched a new website last month — and we’re now on Instagram and Bluesky along with X, Linkedin, and Facebook! All these platforms will make it easier to stay connected with our work, access resources, and learn about upcoming training programs and opportunities to get involved. We’d love for you to follow us, amplify our posts, and be part of our growing community.
Volunteer Spotlight: Lydia Carbone
Currently the head of training for Somerville-based Parenting Journeys, Lydia Carbone has a strong history of work with family-centered nonprofit organizations – including those focused on child welfare and protection, domestic violence and homeless services. Her emphasis on strength-based models of human services make her a perfect match for CDSC’s volunteer roster.
Lydia’s own journey began in New Jersey, where she grew up and attended college and graduate school, earning an MSW at Rutgers University. From there, she tackled a variety of direct service and managerial positions in organizations based in New Jersey, New York, Arizona and now Massachusetts. Intrigued by an email offering basic mediation training, Lydia enrolled with Mediation Works, Inc. (MWI) and then served as a volunteer for small claims, summary process and divorce mediations. Living in Cambridge led her to volunteering with CDSC, where she now provides mediation services in divorce, parent mediation and permanency cases.
She finds much of mediation resonates with her philosophy of asset-based service provision, and finds the mediation process relies upon her strengths of listening, encouraging and helping clients to discover possibilities. “I really appreciate the idea of helping people to become unstuck – to get unstuck from old patterns. In this day and age, we can spend so much time and energy on differences. Mediation enables us to navigate our differences to enable us to experience more joy.” By resolving specific differences, Lydia believes that mediation is able to enable positive changes throughout our community.
Lydia appreciates that CDSC’s roster of volunteers makes affordable and accessible mediation services available to all. In return, she’s grateful that CDSC gives volunteers the chance to try new things, and to keep learning. Thank you Lydia for all you do!