DEVELOP Pillar — Individual Services
Conflict Coaching
You don't need a mediator. You need a thinking partner who can help you see the situation clearly, identify your options, and build the capacity to handle it — before it handles you.
One-on-one. Confidential. Forward-focused. Available virtually nationwide.
What It Is
A Structured Process for Leaders Who Are Stuck
Conflict coaching is a one-on-one, confidential process in which a trained conflict resolution professional works with you — not the other party — to help you navigate a specific conflict situation more effectively. The goal is not to fix the other person. It is to expand your options, sharpen your strategy, and build the capacity to engage constructively rather than reactively.
Works with one person — you
Requires all parties present
Forward-focused, situation-specific
Processes past experiences and emotions
Confidential — nothing reported
Tied to organizational process
Targets a specific conflict right now
Broad professional development
Who It's For
Five Situations Where Conflict Coaching Has the Highest Impact
The Leader Avoiding a Necessary Conversation
You know the conversation needs to happen. You've known for weeks. Conflict coaching helps you understand why you're avoiding it, develop a clear communication strategy, and practice the conversation before you have it.
The Manager Caught Between Two Team Members
Two strong performers are in conflict and you're in the middle. Coaching gives you a fourth option beyond taking sides, staying neutral, or forcing a joint meeting that makes things worse.
The High-Potential Employee Burning Bridges
Talented, driven, and leaving a trail of damaged relationships. Conflict coaching builds the communication skills to match their technical ability — before the organization loses someone it invested years developing.
The Leader Preparing for a High-Stakes Conversation
Performance feedback with a long-tenured employee. A boundary conversation with a peer who has more power. A feedback session with someone who's responded defensively before. Coaching is structured preparation.
The Professional Without Organizational Support
Sometimes the conflict is with your manager. Sometimes the culture discourages raising concerns. Coaching provides a confidential space to think clearly, understand your options, and make an informed decision about how to proceed.
The Process
How a Conflict Coaching Engagement Works
A typical engagement involves three to six sessions of 60–90 minutes each, conducted over four to eight weeks. All sessions are available virtually.
Session 1
Situation Mapping
We develop a shared understanding of the conflict — who is involved, what has happened, what you want, and what is at stake. This session often surfaces information you hadn't fully articulated, even to yourself.
Sessions 2–4
Skill Building & Strategy
We develop specific communication strategies, practice difficult conversations through role-play, and build the emotional regulation capacity to engage constructively under pressure. This is where most of the substantive work happens.
Sessions 5–6
Integration & Follow-Up
You've attempted one or more of the strategies we developed. We debrief what happened, adjust the approach if needed, and consolidate what you've learned into a framework you can apply to future conflicts.
Grounded In
Transformative Mediation Theory (Bush & Folger, 1994) — the principle that the most durable conflict resolution comes not from external intervention, but from strengthening the parties' own capacity to engage constructively. Conflict coaching is the individual-level application of the same framework that drives all Bridge & Gavel work.
Investment
Pricing
All engagements begin with a free 30-minute discovery call. No commitment required. If conflict coaching isn't the right fit, we'll tell you — and point you toward what is.
Have a discount code?
Military & veteran discount: use code MILITARY10 for 10% off all services.
Have referral credit?
Earned credit by referring others? Enter your email to apply it toward your session.
Single Session
per session
Ideal for leaders who need focused preparation for one specific conversation or decision point.
- One 75-minute coaching session
- Pre-session intake questionnaire
- Post-session written summary & action plan
- Email follow-up within 48 hours
Core Engagement
3 sessions
The most common starting point. Three sessions over four to six weeks to address a specific conflict situation from intake through strategy.
- Three 75-minute coaching sessions
- Pre-engagement intake & situation mapping
- Written strategy document after Session 2
- Role-play practice for key conversations
- Email support between sessions
- Post-engagement reflection summary
Full Engagement
6 sessions
For complex, multi-party, or long-running conflicts that require deeper skill-building and sustained follow-through.
- Six 75-minute coaching sessions
- Full intake, mapping & strategy development
- Role-play practice & real-time debriefs
- Conflict style assessment (Thomas-Kilmann)
- Written frameworks for future application
- Priority email support throughout
- 30-day post-engagement check-in
Organizational rates available for teams of 3+ leaders. Contact us to discuss.
|Federal agency & government contractor rates available — request a scope-based quote.
Common Questions
Ready to Start
The First Step Is a Conversation
By the time most leaders ask whether they need conflict coaching, the situation has already been serious for longer than they realize. The leaders who get the most value are the ones who recognize early that they're stuck — and decide to get help before the situation forces their hand.
The discovery call is free, 30 minutes, and carries no obligation. If conflict coaching isn't the right fit, we'll tell you — and point you toward what is.