Why Mediation Matters?

Experience: Since 1984, thousands of mediators have been trained by the trainers of Mediation Matters.

Ready-to-Use Materials: The 400 page manual is one of the best available anywhere. It includes ready-to-use forms for clients and practice. Our workshops also include a computer disk containing these forms ready to print out and use - or modify.

Video: Mediation Matters' workshops involve perhaps the most extensive use of video of any program in the country. Including videos of actual mediations. Pedagogically this allows for an exponential increase in the learning curve.

Balance: When registration allows for two trainers, Mediation Matters uses a balance of clinician/mediator - attorney/mediator and male - female trainers.

What does the course include?

In an interactive format that uses:

• video
• role-play,
• demonstration
• lecture,
• music,
• discussion,
• simulations,
• even poetry,

 

this workshop, with a 400-page manual, covers all the basic content areas of divorce mediation -

• property division,
• support and
• parenting arrangements.

The training will present

• a six-stage model of the mediation process and
• focus on the skills involved in becoming an effective mediator.

Included are components on

• paradigms for understanding conflict,
• the emotional process of divorce and how it affects mediation,
• the styles of mediation and identifying yours,
• screening for domestic violence,
• mediation and the law,
• confidentiality
• using caucusing effectively
• how co-mediation adds value
• mediation ethics and standards of practice
• starting your practice as a mediator and how to market,
• writing competent memoranda of agreement,

and much more.

A distinctive feature of this training is extensive use of videotapes for instruction, including tapes of actual mediations. We will also provide you with a computer disk with the forms we use with clients.

The workshop includes a minimum of six mediation role-plays so that each participant can practice and develop his/her skills.

Can I apply for membership in the Association for Conflict Resolution after this workshop?

Yes. This training has been approved by the Family Section of the national professional association in this field, the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) as a 40-hour comprehensive divorce mediation training. Graduates of this program may join the Association which is the merged successor organization to the Academy of Family Mediators, the Conflict Resolution Education Network, and The Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution. This program also fulfills the training requirements for Practitioner Member status in ACR.

Divorce, of course, falls under state law, and many states now have training requirements. This program meets many state 40-hour training requirements to practice as a mediator.

For Maryland residents, this workshop will meet the 40-hour requirement for basic mediation training under Rule 17 of the Court of Appeals in Maryland for those wishing to be approved as mediators.

For Virginia residents, this workshop has been approved by the Supreme Court of Virginia as a 40-hour Family Mediation training program which may be applied toward partial fulfillment of the training requirements as a Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Mediator and Circuit Court Family Mediator.

A certificate of completion, suitable for framing, will be issued to you upon successful completion of and full attendance at the training course.

Are Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available?

We are pre-approved for Category I CEUs for Maryland Social Workers. We are also approved for D.C. Social Workers. If you are in other jurisdictions, please contact us. because we train nationally, it is not possible to pre-apply for all the CEUs in each state from which participants come. However, we usually can work with you to get approval for CEUs. Give us a call.

Times and Dates

This is an intensive, experiential 40-hour workshop. We will meet from 8:45 a.m. -6:00 p.m. each day. There will also be one evening session on the second day. See our schedule for specific dates.

Location

Workshops held in the Washington DC area will be held at the offices of Mediation Matters, 9816 Parkwood Drive, Bethesda Maryland (Click here for directions). For other cities, the location may vary. See our schedule for specific locations.

What is the cost?

Early registration (a deposit of $175 at least thirty days prior to the workshop) is $1285 (manual included). After that, the fee is $1385. The full balance is due two weeks prior to the workshop.

Group rates are available for multiple registrants.

How do I register?

Send a check for $175 and a completed registration form to:

Mediation Matters
9816 Parkwood Drive
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Please note the registration fee is refundable (less a $25 service fee) up to three weeks prior to the training. After that, the $175 deposit is non-refundable.

Should I read anything before attending?

Yes. We recommend two books - Roger Fisher and William Ury with Bruce Patton's GETTING TO YES (2nd ed., Houghton Mifflin, 1991; $11.20) and Gary Friedman's A GUIDE TO DIVORCE MEDIATION (Workman Publishing, l993; $12.95 pb ISBN 1-56305-245-8). Reading these beforehand will help you make better use of the workshop. These books can be ordered online from Amazon.com by clicking on the covers to the left. Copies of the Friedman book will also be available for purchase at the workshop.

The 400 page Training Manual for the workshop, including ready-to-use form, will be distributed the first day of the training.

Accommodations and Meals

We provide a tasty continental breakfast, afternoon snacks, and a gourmet luncheon daily. If you would like assistance in finding nearby comfortable accommodations, please contact us.

What is the attire for the workshop?

The workshop is quite intensive - meeting for long hours -- so feel free to wear clothes in which you will be comfortable. Our experience is that people often differ in what they regard as a comfortable room temperature, so you may want to dress accordingly.

An Invitation...

This fine, professional training is paced to involve and inform you throughout the training. Past participants tell us that this is some of the best professional training they have ever received. We hope your experience is the same.

Registration for the workshops is limited in order to give proper attention to small groups and role plays. Since many of the workshops fill rather quickly, we would encourage you to register early. We look forward to meeting you.

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