Training

The Interpersonal Mediation Practitioner's Certificate covers everything you need to know to become a professional mediator.

This includes:

• The psychology of conflict
  What makes people behave the way they do when in conflict and how this will influence what we do as mediators.

• The principles of transformative interpersonal mediation
  How mediation compares with other ways of resolving disputes and how to choose what sorts of situations should be mediated. How and why mediation repairs relationships.

• Managing the mediation process
  The steps and stages of our structured seven-stage mediation model and the purpose of each stage. Dealing with resistance, disruption, and unexpected obstacles during the mediation sessions.

• Key mediation skills
  Practising on simulated cases and receiving live feedback from your tutor. Learning key skills such as reframing, reflection, and active listening.

• Diversity competence
  Acknowledging that diversity of some sort exists among all participants and that only through acknowledgement can we achieve the best kind of resolution.

• Taking your practice forward
  Your strengths and areas for improvement, and factoring these into a personal development plan. Conforming to best practice and adhering to UK Mediation’s Code of Conduct.

Our trainers have a wealth of practical mediation experience and are able to adapt the course content to the make-up of the particular group.

A number of bodies and organisations accredit, register, validate, and in various ways rubber-stamp the activities of wide range of mediators. We can understand if you would find it a bit confusing!

Let us explain:

• This course is in Interpersonal Mediation. It is not meant for those wishing to work purely in commercial mediation, negotiating financial and contractual matters; neither is it intended for family mediators who work with divorce and separation. It is the only course you need if you want to resolve disputes between people whose relationship needs to be repaired.   

• The course is a 'Recognised Mediator Training Programme' (RMTP) with the International Mediation Institute (IMI). When you have achieved on the course, you can apply to be listed as an ‘IMI Qualified Mediator’ and be recognised as having completed a high-quality mediation course that meets international quality standards.

• Different accrediting bodies are more concerned with commercial or family mediation, and usually require 60 hours or more tuition, spread out over a period of weeks. This course is more about people: how they get into conflict, what happens at a psychological level when they get stuck there, and how a mediator can help them to move on. It is a five-day, 40-hour course; only delivered face-to-face, led by a highly experienced mediator, and internationally recognised.  

All of our courses are live, interactive events, run by a practising mediator who is an expert in the field.

We use a range of methods to deliver the course, including:

• Video of a simulated dispute

• Lecture and discussion

• Group exercises

• Small-group activities

• Practice sessions with simulated case material

• Real-life case studies

The course is delivered face-to-face at one of our training venues, where we can use custom-made video material, carry out discussions, run small group exercises, and have some practice sessions.