About Us

 

We subscribe to the Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators as adopted by the American Arbitration Association, the American Bar Association and the Association for Conflict Resolution September 2005.

View the Model Standards of Conduct here.

 

PARTNER

Debbie Reinberg, MAcc

Debbie Reinberg started working in the geriatric field in 1987.   As Vice-President at both GeriMed of America and Cornerstone Health Management, she was responsible for implementing hospital-based geriatric outpatient primary care programs.   In addition to designing comprehensive financial models, she worked with hospital departments to coordinate billing/computer systems, marketing, site selection, design/build-out, capital acquisition and efficient operational flow and she provided training for the new staff.

Understanding the complexities of geriatric care, she brought together a professional team of geriatric care specialists to directly address the needs of older adults and their caregivers.   ElderCARE Network, a geriatric care management company, was formed in 1997 to provide assessment, advocacy, referral and coordination of services for older adults and their caregivers.   She received the Outstanding Chapter Member Award by the Western Regional Chapter of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers in 2002.  

Recently, Debbie served as the Executive Director for the Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, where, in addition to ongoing administrative duties, she strengthened educational and networking activities across the state, successfully achieved title protection (based on degree) for all social workers in Colorado, reinstated successful biennial state-wide conferences and spearheaded collaborations with other mental health professional groups for legislative efforts.

Debbie first took mediation courses in 2005 through IADR (Institute for Advanced Dispute Resolution) and assisted in curriculum development for IADR’s Healthcare/Eldercare Mediation course.   She volunteers at CAMP (Court Annexed Mediation Program) for Denver County and is active in Colorado Bar Association endeavors to increase awareness of and shape the future of elder mediation.

Debbie has an undergraduate degree in Sociology with emphasis in Social Psychology from the University of Texas and she received her Business degree (with emphasis on non-profit management and management information systems) from the University of Denver, with a Fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health. She is interested in neuroscience, studying the implications of “the brain” and mediation.

PARTNER

John A. Rymers, M.A., LPC, CAC III

John Rymers is a mediator and Licensed Professional Counselor. He has a Masters degree in psychology from the University of Northern Colorado, and has been a mediator in private practice since 1986.  His psychotherapy and counseling experience enhances his mediation work. Much of his practice has been in the area of domestic relations, working with high-conflict divorce clients as a mediator, custody evaluator, Child and Family Investigator (CFI) and as an arbitrator.

John received training as a mediator in 1984 from CDR Associates, an international conflict resolution firm in Boulder, Colorado.  Once trained, John worked with CDR as a Senior Associate co-mediating divorce cases with less experienced mediators and assisting with mediation training as a coach for students learning mediation. As part of his private practice, John offered an internship to professionals trained in mediation but lacking actual mediation experience. This benefited both the mediators, by giving them an opportunity to hone their skills with guidance, as well as the clients who received quality co-mediation services at a reasonable price.

John taught mediation and negotiation with CDR Associates and The University of Denver’s University College. He is an Advanced Practitioner member of the Association for Conflict Resolution (formerly the Academy of Family Mediators).

At the time John became a mediator, the mediation field was in its infancy in Colorado. He has been active in promoting the mediation profession by participating in various committees that helped forge the profession in Colorado and as president of the Colorado Council of Mediators and Mediation Organizations (CCMO) for 2 years (1990-1992).  In 1997, he was named CCMO Mediator of the Year. Besides domestic relations mediation, John has mediated in a variety of settings including EEO, workplace, special education, probate and church congregations. 

 

CO-FOUNDER

Ken Helander, M.A.

Currently available through the GLBT Center of Colorado

khelander@glbtcolorado.org

303/733-7743 x122

Ken began working with older people in 1977, in the very early days of geropsychiatric care, as a mental health therapist at Larimer County Mental Health Center in Ft. Collins, Colorado.  Little was understood about late life mental illness in those days, and even Alzheimer’s Disease was thought to be rare.  In 1981, Ken moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where services for older people were even more scarce.  As a member of a dynamic team, at Anchorage Community Mental Health Center, Ken had the opportunity to help build services that reflected the pioneer spirit of Alaska, including the first dementia-specific adult day center on the west coast.  Ken started a family caregiver support group through that program, which soon evolved into the state’s largest Alzheimer’s Disease advocacy and resource agency.  As understanding of the psychological nature of aging began to grow, so did the sophistication of community-based and institutional care for older people. 

After a couple years of doctoral studies in southern California, Ken returned to Anchorage and became the Director of Clinical Services at the city’s new state-of-the-art skilled nursing facility.  The care there soon gained a reputation for innovation and quality, and earned national awards for excellence.  Many of the facility innovations have been embraced by current national movements seeking to improve the way people live in long-term care facilities.  Ken returned to the Anchorage Community Mental Health Center as Director of Senior Services.  With support of state and municipal funds, his programs grew to include a comprehensive geropsychiatric treatment team, the original Day Break Adult Day Center, and an innovative second day center that specifically served assisted living home residents.  Both day centers received national recognition as best practices in eldercare.

After 21 years in Alaska, Ken moved to San Francisco where he managed one of the five renowned On Lok centers.  On Lok is the originator of the PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) Model of managed senior health care.  Ken’s time in San Francisco was cut short when both his parents faced serious health problems, and he felt he was most needed at home in Colorado.  Since returning to Denver, Ken trained as a mediator and co-founded ELDEResolutions with John Rymers and Debbie Reinberg.