For Legal Professionals

For Non-Legal Professionals

Psychologists, human resource practitioners, counsellors, social workers, educators, and other helping professionals are increasingly called upon to work with individuals experiencing conflict, relational breakdown, and coercive dynamics. Our programs provide opportunities to develop skills in conflict engagement, mediation, mentalising, and psychologically-informed approaches to dispute resolution. By bringing together perspectives from psychology and law, we create a unique learning environment that encourages cross-disciplinary understanding and collaboration.

Continuing Professional Development

The Clinic offers a range of nationally recognised and specialist professional development opportunities, including mediation accreditation pathways, advanced skills training, workshops, and tailored programs for organisations and professional groups. Participants benefit from access to leading researchers and experienced practitioners who are actively contributing to developments in the field.

Alumni and Professional Community

Learning does not end with accreditation or graduation. The UWA Mediation Clinic fosters an ongoing professional community that supports alumni throughout their careers. Through continuing education events, advanced masterclasses, networking opportunities, and our growing Community of Practice, alumni remain connected to emerging research, contemporary practice developments and a vibrant network of professionals committed to excellence in conflict resolution.

Professor Jill Howieson

Clinic Director | Researcher of Conflict, Control, and Human Relationships

Jill Howieson is a law professor, mediator, educator, and researcher whose work explores the hidden dynamics of conflict, control, and human relationships. Drawing on expertise in law, psychology, and dispute resolution, she investigates why conflicts become entrenched, how relationships break down, and what enables understanding, repair, and constructive change. 

As founder and Director of the UWA Mediation Clinic, Jill has built an interdisciplinary centre that combines research, professional education, and practice. Since establishing the Clinic in 2018, she has worked with courts, government agencies, community organisations, and professional bodies to translate research into practical approaches that improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities experiencing conflict. 

For more than two decades, Jill has taught and researched negotiation, mediation, and dispute resolution, training hundreds of lawyers, psychologists, mediators, judges, and other professionals in Australia and internationally. Her work has contributed to the development of psychologically-informed approaches to mediation and dispute resolution, helping professionals better understand the human dimensions of conflict. 

Together with psychologist Dr Darren Moroney, Jill leads an emerging program of research examining narcissism, coercive control, trust, victim-blaming, recognition, and relational harm. Their work seeks to bridge disciplinary boundaries and develop new ways of understanding the psychological and social forces that shape human conflict and relationships. 

Jill is co-author of two editions of a negotiation textbook and author of scholarly publications in mediation, dispute resolution, and therapeutic jurisprudence. Her current work focuses on translating complex ideas about conflict and control into practical frameworks that can inform professional practice, public policy, and broader public conversations about human behaviour.

Dr Darren Moroney

Psychologist, Mediator, and Researcher

Dr Darren Moroney is a psychologist, mediator, and researcher whose work explores trust, relationships, conflict, and the psychological processes through which people understand themselves and others. His research is driven by a fascination with the ways human beings create meaning, form relationships, and respond to challenge, uncertainty, and change.

At the UWA Mediation Clinic, Darren works at the intersection of psychology, law, and dispute resolution, bringing a psychological lens to some of the most complex questions about conflict and human behaviour. His background in counselling psychology, mentalising theory, and interpersonal functioning informs a growing body of interdisciplinary work examining the psychological foundations of conflict, trust, and relational breakdown.

Working closely with Professor Jill Howieson, Darren has helped develop the Clinic's research program on mentalising, interpersonal trust, narcissism, coercive control, and relational harm. Together, they seek to understand not only how conflict unfolds, but why people become trapped in detrimental relational patterns, and to make complex psychological ideas accessible and useful.

Darren's career spans research, teaching, and practice. He has taught psychology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, supervised research students, and worked extensively with individuals, families, and communities facing significant personal and relational challenges. His doctoral research explored parent-child relationships and behavioural development, establishing a foundation for his continuing interest in attachment, emotion regulation, and interpersonal trust.

Alongside his work in psychology, Darren has a longstanding interest in narrative, creativity, and communication. Earlier in his career he worked within the international film and animation industry in Shanghai, contributing to intellectual property development, story evaluation, and creative projects for global audiences. This experience reinforced his interest in the stories people share about themselves and others, and the powerful role these stories play in shaping relationships, experience, and identity.

Carla Marks

International Director of Mediation | International Mediation & Diplomacy

As International Director of Mediation at the UWA Mediation Clinic, Carla leads the Clinic’s international engagement, building strong connections with leading mediation institutes and academies worldwide.

Carla's mission is to advance reflection and practice on how conflict resolution and peace mediation can evolve to meet contemporary global challenges.

Committed to innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability, Carla promotes approaches that emphasise understanding disputes as a foundation for prevention and resolution, positioning the Clinic at the forefront of international dialogue and practice in pursuit of a more peaceful future.

Romany Spencer

Business Partner

Romany is a Business Partner of the UWA Mediation Clinic and is responsible for the management and delivery of the Clinic’s mediation training programs, accreditation processes, and day-to-day operations. She is a Nationally Accredited Mediator (AMDRAS) and has over 20 years’ experience across a range of industries supporting SMEs with bookkeeping, payroll, compliance, and financial systems.