Restorative Practices and the Conversational Model

For many years, my professional focus has been singularly on restorative practices—helping people navigate harm, conflict, and accountability in ways that prioritise repair and relationship over punishment or blame. A core part of this work has always been one-on-one conversations —coaching individuals through conflict, supporting them in preparing for difficult dialogues, and helping them reflect on their experiences in ways that lead to meaningful change.

While restorative processes often happen in group settings, individual work is just as crucial. People need space to explore their emotions, make sense of what has happened, and build the capacity to engage in repair. Sometimes, this happens through preparation for a restorative facilitation; other times, it involves deeper personal reflection on patterns that extend beyond the immediate situation.

More recently, I’ve begun training in the Conversational Model, a psychodynamic interpersonal therapy approach. This is a shift toward more formal psychotherapy, but in reality, it’s a natural extension of the work I’ve already been doing—helping people process harm, understand themselves, and move forward in ways that align with their values.

The Limits of Restorative Practices: When Deeper Work Is Needed

Restorative practices are powerful, but they also have limits. They are designed to help people engage in specific conversations—whether about harm, conflict, or accountability. But sometimes, a single process isn’t enough.

- Some harms are rooted in long-standing personal patterns—how we’ve learned to navigate relationships, regulate emotions, or protect ourselves from pain.

- Sometimes, we struggle to engage in restorative work because our past is shaping how we show up in the present—leading to defensiveness, avoidance, or cycles of harm.

- Other times, we need longer-term support to work through emotions that are too complex to process within the structure of a restorative process.

This is where psychotherapy becomes valuable. While restorative work focuses on repairing harm in relationships and communities, therapy allows for deeper personal exploration — helping people understand why they respond in certain ways and how past experiences shape their present interactions.

The Shared Foundation: Relationships, Safety, and Dialogue

Despite their differences, restorative practices and the Conversational Model share a common foundation:

- Healing happens in relationships. Both approaches recognise that transformation comes not just from insight, but from feeling seen, heard, and understood.

- Curiosity over judgment. Both focus on helping people explore their emotions and reactions with compassion rather than shame.

- The power of dialogue. Whether in a restorative circle, facilitated process, or a therapy session, meaningful change happens when people have the space to put their experiences into words.

In all settings, my role is to hold space for people to explore their emotions and experiences without fear of judgment — whether they’re preparing for a restorative process, unpacking the impact of a conflict, or working through deeper personal struggles.

Bridging Individual and Collective Healing

A key reason I feel drawn to both restorative work and psychotherapy is that they address different, but interconnected, layers of healing:

- Restorative processes focus on healing in relationships and communities — helping people take accountability, repair harm, and build healthier ways of relating to one another.

- The Conversational Model allows for deeper individual work — helping people process trauma, attachment wounds, and emotional patterns that shape their interactions.

For some, a restorative process might bring up emotions that feel too big to process in a group setting, or perhaps bigger than the initial reason that brought them into the restorative space. Therapy can provide a space to slow down, unpack those emotions, and understand their origins. Conversely, someone who has done personal work in therapy may find that restorative practices offer a way to apply those insights in their relationships and communities.

Why I’m Doing Both

Training in psychotherapy isn’t a departure from my restorative work—it’s an expansion of it. I’ve always done one-on-one coaching within restorative practice, helping people prepare for dialogue and reflect on their experiences. Now, with formal training in the Conversational Model, I can support people in a deeper, more sustained way.

For those who have worked with me in restorative settings, my therapeutic training means I bring even more depth to how I support difficult conversations. For those who meet me first as a therapist, my restorative background means I’m always thinking about the bigger picture — how personal healing connects to relationships, workplaces, and communities.

Whether through restorative processes, coaching, or psychotherapy, my goal remains the same: to help people move toward greater understanding, connection, and healing.

If you’re interested in working with me as a therapist, you can connect with me at www.haleyfarrar.com, or through this website - just ask.