Overview

This live event takes place Sunday, December 13, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm EST (1:30 pm-2:30 pm PST).

Healthcare professionals typically work in interprofessional teams where efficient and effective communication is paramount for success. The abilities to prevent and resolve conflicts are vital to effective functioning of healthcare teams, yet these skills are rarely taught in formal training. This course includes coverage of the psychology of effective communication, factors that create misunderstanding and conflict, and published models for approaching difficult conversations necessary to resolve conflicts.      

Education Category: Webinars
Release Date: 10/15/2026
Expiration Date: 12/20/2026

Table of Contents

Audience

This live webinar is designed for for all healthcare professionals who encounter interpersonal conflict and the need to have difficult conversations.

Accreditations & Approvals

NetCE has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6361. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. NetCE is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. As a Jointly Accredited Organization, NetCE is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs. NetCE is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). NetCE complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, NetCE is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0021. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board of Mental Health Counseling. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0033. This course is considered live online, as defined by the New York State Board for Social Work. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0015. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0240. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board for Psychology.

Designations of Credit

NetCE designates this live event continuing education activity for 1 NBCC clock hour(s). NetCE designates this live event activity for 1 continuing education clock hours. Social workers participating in this intermediate to advanced course will receive 1 Clinical continuing education clock hours. NetCE is authorized by IACET to offer 0.1 CEU(s) for this program. NetCE designates this live continuing education activity for 1 credit(s).

Individual State Behavioral Health Approvals

In addition to states that accept ASWB, NetCE is approved as a provider of continuing education by the following state boards: Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners, Provider #0515; Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, CE Broker Provider #50-2405; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Social Workers, License #159.001094; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Licensed Professional and Clinical Counselors, License #197.000185; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Marriage and Family Therapists, License #168.000190;

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to improve healthcare professionals' knowledge of effective communication and factors contributing to interpersonal conflict, and develop skills for preventing misunderstandings and applying structured, evidence-based approaches to difficult conversations and conflict resolution within healthcare teams.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

  1. Explain the tenants of nonviolent communication.
  2. Describe three factors that contribute to interpersonal misunderstanding and conflict.
  3. Apply a chosen model for structuring a difficult conversation.

Faculty

Michael Wiederman, PhD, was a college professor for 20 years before transitioning to providing professional development more than a decade ago. After serving as director of professional development at two medical schools, he now offers professional development programs, workshops, and coaching nationally. He also blogs for Psychology Today about how to apply psychology for work success.

Faculty Disclosure

Contributing faculty, Michael Wiederman, PhD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Division Planners

Kimberly Byrd, EdD, PMSW

Scott Deatherage, PhD

Division Planners Disclosure

The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Sarah Campbell

Director Disclosure Statement

The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

About the Sponsor

The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Technical Requirements

Supported browsers for Windows include Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and up, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Supported browsers for Macintosh include Safari, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Other operating systems and browsers that include complete implementations of ECMAScript edition 3 and CSS 2.0 may work, but are not supported. Supported browsers must utilize the TLS encryption protocol v1.1 or v1.2 in order to connect to pages that require a secured HTTPS connection. TLS v1.0 is not supported.

Implicit Bias in Health Care

The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.

Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.

#9671L: Conflict Prevention and Resolution: The Psychology of Communication and Difficult Conversations

INTRODUCTION

The ability to manage conflict and difficult conversations involve skills that can be learned and developed through practice. This course provided you with a framework for viewing communication as based on underlying needs, and reviewed numerous factors that contribute to misunderstanding and conflict. Several models and points of advice were provided to assist you in having difficult conversations for the sake of resolving conflict. 

WEBINAR

WORKBOOK

The workbook discussed in this webinar is available here.

Works Cited

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18. Ranjith A, Dash A, Binod P. Conflict management in healthcare setting—an essential public health skill. Int J Health Syst Implement Res. 2024;8(1):22-28.

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20. Rezaei J. Anchoring bias in eliciting attribute weights and values in multi-attribute decision-making. J Decis Syst. 2021;30(1):72-96.

21. Rosenberg MB. Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. 3rd ed. PuddleDancer Press; 2015.

22. Scott S. Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success At Work and In Life, One Conversation At A Time. New American Library; 2017.

23. Stone D, Patton B, Heen S. Difficult Conversations: How To Discuss What Matters Most. Penguin; 2023.

24. Tepper SJ, Gilovich T. The minority-groups homogeneity effect: seeing members of different minority groups as more similar to each other than members of the majority. J Pers Soc Psychol. Published October 14, 2024.

25. Ungerbock K. 22 Talk Shifts: Tools to Transform Leadership. Lioncrest Publishing; 2020.

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