Vivien Feyer is a psychologist, educator, mediator and peace activist. She began lecturing at Harvard University in the 1970s, teaching communication skills to psychologists, teachers, physicians and professionals in other fields. She has facilitated workshops throughout the U.S. on group process, diversity and alternative dispute resolution. Much of her work has focused on bereavement, trauma, death and loss. Vivien trains and coaches community mediators and promotes direct person-to-person, heart-to-heart communication between adversaries and across borders. In 1981, she founded the fair trade import company, PARADISO: JEWELS OF BALI.

In 2005, Vivien and her partner, Jeffrey Ritterman, traveled to the Iraqi border with a delegation of US military families whose loved ones had been killed in Iraq. They brought humanitarian aid for distribution to the people of Fallujah, and listened to the tragic stories of Iraqi families, physicians and human rights workers. They witnessed the people of both countries coming together in their profound grief, with a shared commitment to creating a peaceful future.

In 2006, Vivien and Jeffrey traveled with a Global Exchange citizen diplomacy delegation to Iran. They met with Iranian doctors, women's organizations, community groups and Muslim clerics, and with many women, men and children in the parks and on the streets. They took several thousand photographs, with the hope of giving people in this country a clearer glimpse of the human side of Iran. They continue to travel throughout the US, presenting on "Medical and Human Rights Consequences of the War in Iraq" and "Improving US and Iranian Relations".

Topics covered

• US & Iranian Relations
• Alternative Conflict Resolution
• Medical Aid
• Women and War