Mediating Family and Divorce Cases

September 13-17, 2010, 12:30-5:30 PM

Learn to mediate family cases with skill, confidence and compassion.

Kate Otting, experienced family mediator, shares years of experience, high-quality training skills and philosophy to help you build an effective mediation practice.  You will learn how to guide parties to improve communication and understanding, so that they may reach wise and viable agreements.  We will also practice techiques for screening cases involving domestic violence and high conflict.  We use practical skill-building exercises grounded in theory and research. Participants will benefit from lectures, demonstrations, exercises and role plays. 

Your registration fee not only provides you with training, but you will also receive our training manual, Mediating Divorce and Family Cases: Participant Handbook, which includes a set of instructional materials, valuable guides, checklists, forms, statutes and rules, sample agreements, and a variety of other handouts important for divorce/family mediators.

Register Now! 

Overview
Kate Otting, lead instructor and practicing mediator has taught this course for over 15 years, with continuous updates reflecting the latest tools and research.

This course provides trained mediators with in-depth theory, training, sample documents and practice in mediating divorce and family cases.  

Participants receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the course.  Attorneys: this course may qualify for CLEs.

Prerequisite: Introduction to Mediation.  Only mediators who have received introductory mediation training may take this course.  Others, with special permission from IMA, may be able to attend.

General learning objectives for this 5-day course:

• To learn the practical skills, strategies and techniques necessary to effectively mediate for families in conflict and transition;
• To understand the theoretical foundation of conflict resolution,
• negotiation and mediation theory in the context of divorce and family mediation;
• To build strategic communication and facilitation techniques;
• To understand relevant legal issues that impact mediation;
• To learn how to work with legal counsel and other participant advisers;
• To learn techniques for establishing a successful mediation practice;
• To recognize how mediation fits on the continuum of dispute resolution options;
• To have confidence in your ability to mediate divorce and family cases.
• To learn how to screen for and report domestic violence in divorce/family mediation cases;
• To appreciate the ethical standards, issues and policy considerations of divorce and family mediation cases;
• To have confidence in your ability to manage difficult situations in family/divorce mediation cases.

Course Participation:
Since this is a “learn by doing” class, full attendance and participation is essential.  Please be considerate of your mediator colleagues and instructors as we build a community of divorce/family mediators during this course.  Although participants should feel free to dress in comfortable and casual attire, we will provide you with a rich and professional learning environment.  Arriving late, leaving early, ringing cell phones and sidebar conversations cause disruptions that inhibit learning for all participants.

Course Modifications:
From time to time it may be valuable to make changes in course policies or schedules.  Therefore, IMA reserves the right to modify any of this syllabus during the course. It is each participant’s responsibility to be aware of any such changes as they are announced.

Course Highlights
 
Who Should Attend:
Anyone who would like to help families in conflict and transition achieve reasonable divorce agreements.  Our training clients typically include therapists, attorneys, social workers, religious leaders and active mediators.

Training Format:
This training addresses issues associated with mediating divorce, family and interpersonal issues utilizing the following techniques:

• Demonstrations of the mediation process
• Videotaped demonstrations
• Guest lectures from experts in family law, therapy and other divorce-related fields
• Lecture and discussion
• Participant role-play exercises with feedback
• Course materials which include sample forms

Required Reading: 
Mediating Divorce and Family Cases: Participant Handbook -- provided to all registered participants and included in the cost of registration.

For more information, visit our page on Becoming a Mediator.