Sustainable partnerships are built through intentional collaboration, shared responsibility, and proactive communication not simply by avoiding conflict. By establishing clear expectations, building trust, and maintaining transparency from the beginning, SMEs with lived experience and their partners can strengthen long-term relationships, recognize early warning signs of challenges, and create resilient collaborations that adapt and grow over time.

This section is aimed at agency or government staff. Recognize the power you hold as a representative and take appropriate action to balance and share that power. A Native American partner once told me, “No matter how much the elephant wants to do the right thing by the mouse, it is still an elephant.” Do not downplay the authority you hold in the eyes of others. Do make efforts to create safe spaces and multiple methods for people to communicate their problems with you. Using conflict to create better partnerships requires one to step outside of their ego and allow for others to have their emotions and opinions without taking it personal.

Partnership ruptures occur when trust, communication, or working relationships are damaged because of conflict, misunderstandings, unmet expectations, or harmful actions. While not every partnership can or should be repaired, many relationships can recover when all parties are willing to acknowledge the rupture, take responsibility for their role, and intentionally rebuild trust. Repair is not about pretending the conflict never happened; it is about creating a healthier path forward when continued collaboration is appropriate. Funding decisions can strengthen partnerships or become a source of conflict depending on how they are communicated. Open and transparent conversations about funding, expectations, compliance requirements, and organizational capacity help build trust, reduce misunderstandings, and support meaningful collaboration. While not every funding request can be fully supported, clear communication and equitable decision-making can help preserve relationships and create opportunities for future partnership.

Conflict in survivor-informed work can be complex, particularly when lived experience, professional responsibilities, and institutional power intersect. Instead of beginning with, “How do I resolve this?” consider a different question: “How do I show up to this well?” This section will guide you through understanding your role, managing your reactions, and listening with intention before moving toward resolution.

May 13, 2026, marked a turning point. The SME Impact Forum demonstrated what is possible when we work collaboratively toward a shared purpose, focusing on solutions rather than blame. Throughout the event, we witnessed genuine engagement between SMEs, organizations, and agencies, with active participation, mutual respect, and meaningful dialogue from beginning to end. The Forum fostered an atmosphere of trust, learning, joy, and support, proving that authentic collaboration leads to stronger partnerships and lasting impact. It showed that when everyone has a voice and works toward a common goal, extraordinary outcomes are possible. The SME Impact Forum Model is organized around six interconnected principles represented by the acronym IMPACT.

Thank you so much for taking the Conflict to Collaboration: Building Ethical, Trauma-Informed, and Sustainable Partnerships Training. Kindly take a minute to fill out the Feedback via this link. Once you finish the survey, click the Complete button below to finish the training. To receive a certificate of completion for this training series, you must complete all 7 sections and training feedback. A certificate of completion will be in your profile once you have completed these steps.