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Yuko Uchikawa
Restorative Justice, Facilitator & Mediator
1 — THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION
Trust begins with transparency. If you have found your way here, something is probably happening in your life or your organization that has brought you here.
I would like to offer more information to make this process as clear as possible—without legal language and disclaimers, but with a direct account of what I do, how I work, and what you can expect if we begin together.
You are welcome to read all of this, or to go directly to the section most relevant to you. If you have questions you are welcome to reach out.
2 — THE ONE QUESTION I ANSWER BEST
How do I have this conversation—the one I have been avoiding—in a way that doesn't destroy the relationship and honors each person's experience?
This is the question that runs beneath almost every situation I work with. A conflict that talking hasn't resolved. Accountability conversations that is difficult to have. A team that has fractured. A relationship that still matters but has become impossible to navigate without someone getting hurt.
My intention is to create the conditions where it is safe enough to listen, understand and be heard. We "move at the speed of trust" (adrienne maree brown) and I guide the conversation to go where it actually needs to go. I create the space and listen—not to fix or judge—but to make sure every voice is heard. Especially the ones that have historically gone unheard.
Through dialogue, what is underneath the conflict becomes visible. And from that place, people find their own way forward.
0 — Purpose of this page
1 — The one question I answer best
3 — CLARITY
What this work is—
and what it isn't
Being clear about what I offer—and where my work ends—helps you make the right choice for your situation. I would rather you find the right support than begin something that isn't suited to what you need.
This work is designed to support:
• Honest communication between people who are in conflict
• Exploring what happened, needs, and defining accountability together
• Creating outcomes that all participants agree on
• Organizations building capacity to recognize and acknowledge differences and repair relationship
• Individuals and teams learning to sustain themselves in care-intensive work
This work is not:
• Arbitration: arbitration is a process in which the arbitrator makes the final, binding decision
• Legal advice or legal representation of any kind
• Clinical therapy or mental health treatment
• Emergency or crisis intervention
• A substitute for professional medical care
• A process that guarantees a particular outcome
The Difference between Mediation and Restorative Justice
Mediation
Working through a conflict
Reactive—process to address what has happened
PURPOSE
People in conflict and a mediator
Participation is voluntary
PARTICIPANTS
Past, Present & Future
Agreements, if reached, is created by the parties with the mediator as a guide
FOCUS
Restorative Justice (Circles)
A dialogue with a circle keeper/facilitator to work through conflicts or harm; build community; recognize accomplishments; strengthen teams
Reactive and Pro-active—circle can be done to prevent situations from happening
PURPOSE
Interested/impacted people and a circle keeper/facilitator
Harm circles include community members wishing to support the parties
Participation is voluntary
PARTICIPANTS
Past, Present & Future
Agreements and accountability, if reached, is created together with the support of the community
FOCUS
2 — What this work is, and what it's not
4 — GUIDING PRINCIPLES
These are the principles that guide every engagement
This is invitational work. People enter and engage by choice—not by obligation, not by institutional pressure, and not because someone else decided you should be here.
3 — Guiding Principles
5 — CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality is a core value of this practice—not a legal formality
What is shared in facilitation, circles or mediation is treated with care and discretion. I do not share information from an engagement with anyone who was not part of it.
There are limits, as there are in any professional practice. Confidentiality operates within the bounds of applicable law, including any mandatory reporting obligations that may apply depending on context—for example, in school-based work involving minors. Where such obligations exist, they will be named clearly before the work begins.
Confidentiality in individual, community and organizational mediation:
• Guidelines, including confidentiality, are established together
• Individual intake sessions, if used, remain separate from joint sessions and confidential
• What you share in mediations are not disclosed to people outside of mediation
• Exception to confidentiality: if any threat of violence to anyone involved in the mediation
• If agreements are made, we decide together how and what will be shared out
• I do not report back to organizational administrators
Confidentiality in organizational and community circle work:
• Guidelines, including confidentiality, are established together
• Individual intake sessions (if necessary) remain separate from circles and confidential
• Circle dialogues are confidential
• Exception to confidentiality: if any threat of violence to anyone involved in the circle
• If agreements are made, we decide together how and what will be shared out
• I do not report back to organizational administrators
If you have specific concerns or questions about how confidentiality applies in your situation—especially in multi-party, school-based, or other institutional contexts, please contact me.
4 — Confidentiality
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