Dr. Marshall B. Rosenberg (1934-2015) was the founder and director of educational services at the Center for Nonviolent Communication.
Growing up in inner-city Detroit, Michigan, USA, Dr. Marshall Rosenberg was exposed to various forms of violence on a daily basis. In order to study the causes of violence and what could be done to reduce it, he chose to study clinical psychology and received his Ph.D. in 1961 degree in clinical psychology from the University of Wisconsin. In 1966 he was awarded a Diploma in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Professional Examiners in Psychology.
Nonviolent Communication training grew out of Dr. Rosenberg’s quest to find a way to quickly spread much-needed peacemaking skills. The Center for Nonviolent Communication grew out of the work he did with civil rights activists in the early 1960s. During this period, he also mediated between rioting students and college administrators and worked to peacefully desegregate public schools in long-segregated regions.
Since the establishment of the center, the response to the Nonviolent Communication training has been extremely positive. It is considered a powerful tool to peacefully resolve differences at personal, professional and political levels. Dr. Rosenberg has conducted nonviolent communication training in 60 countries.* He has worked with groups such as educators, leaders, mental health and health care providers, lawyers, military officers, prisoners, police and prison officials, clergy, government officials, and individual families. He has been active in war-torn areas and economically disadvantaged countries, offering non-violent communication training to promote reconciliation and peaceful conflict resolution.
The world’s reactions were inspiring. Evaluations show that these trainings greatly enhance the ability to communicate compassionately with oneself and others, as well as to resolve disagreements peacefully. Reports also indicate that the benefits of training are not only stable over time, but actually increase.
Dr. Rosenberg was able to train individuals to conduct training in their own community, work, educational, and political environments and in their own languages, with the same positive effect.
In 2006 Marshall received the Nonviolent Bonds of Peace Award.
*Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, Colombia, Congo, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldavia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Puerto Rico, Russia, Rwanda, Scotland, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, Yugoslavia.