Steve Olweean's Page

What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?

It was a natural progrsssion from my years as a civil rights and anti-war activist in the 60's and 70's

Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)

Steve Olweean is founding Director and Program Developer for Common Bond Institute (CBI) conferences and projects, President of the International Humanistic Psychology Association (IHPA), and Past President of the Association for Humanistic Psychology.

He became engaged in peace and conflict transformation work when coordinating professional exchanges in human services to the then Soviet Union. Since establishing Common Bond Institute in 1990 he has created and collaborated on numerous international efforts, including international conferences and professional training programs for local capacity building in human services and civil society, as well as provided consultation, coordination, and networking support to assist newly emerging human service and civil society organizations in developing societies that are regions of conflict. Among the most regularly occurring conferences - In 1993 he co-founded and each year organizes the Annual International Conference on Conflict Resolution (ICR) in Russia, in 2003 co-founded the International Youth Conference on the Ecology of War and Peace, and in 2006 founded the Annual International Conference on “Engaging The Other:” The Power of Compassion (ETO). He developed the Catastrophic Trauma Recovery training model as the basis for CBIs trauma treatment training projects serving relief workers and counselors in regions of conflict where local services are underdeveloped. He is currently developing an "Engaging The Other" curriculum for application in various community settings, linked to the 3rd Annual ETO Conference, being held September 2008 in San Francisco.

He speaks and writes on conflict transformation, concepts of "The Other," social/psychological dynamics of fear and communal paranoia; fear based belief systems and negative stereotypes, polarization, scapegoating, and the creation of enemy and victim identity; as well as the power of personal engagement and familiarity; forgiveness and reconciliation, trauma recovery, and healing negative belief systems in building capacity for a culture of peace. Current book project is "Engaging The Other," an edited compilation of chapters contributed by authors representing a diversity of cultures & societies around the world exploring this fundamentally subjective phenomenon from their unique cultural eye. He is a therapist with a degree in Clinical Psychology experienced in community based mental health treatment and advocacy, and a treatment focus on trauma and abuse recovery, victim/perpetrator dynamics, and healing negative belief systems.

Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise

Russia, Middle East, Balkans, Caucuses, USA

What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?

USA

What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?

Director, Common Bond Institute; President International Humanistic Psychology Association

What is your personal or organizational website?

http://www.cbiworld.org

Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?

Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, Humanitarian Relief, Education, Civil Society, Health, Psychosocial

Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?

Training, Program Design, Program Administration, Advocacy, Intervention

What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?

Psycho-social dynamics of "The Other."
Intergenerational inheritance of trauma, and the role of this in cultural ethos.
Dynamics of victim/perpetrator identity.

If appropriate feel free to list several of your (or your organization's) publications

Psychological Concepts of The Other: Embracing the Compass of the Self,
Something To Trust In,
Journey Through Conflict,
Reality War,
When The Shadow Surrenders The Form