| ACR Approved
Family Mediation Training Program Guidelines
Approved by the ACR
Family Section
15 Identified
Training Outcomes
Mediation Training Programs approved by the ACR
Family Section should ensure that participants
can demonstrate the following knowledge and skills:
1. Ability to explain what mediation is (within
the dispute resolution context) and what a mediator
does;
2. Awareness of theories and current research
and literature underlying conflict and its resolution,
and their application to family mediation;
3. Ability to contract for mediation services;
4. Ability to screen for appropriateness of mediation,
including knowledge and ability to screen for
domestic violence and an awareness of appropriate
responses when domestic violence or its potential
has been identified;
5. Ability to assist the parties in surfacing
and framing the topics to be discussed in mediation;
6. * Awareness of the consequences of separation/divorce
for adults and children
7. * Ability to work with the substantive information
encountered in separation/divorce mediation
8. Ability to build a working relationship and
a constructive process with the parties
9. Ability to facilitate communication between
the parties by using specific skills (e.g., active
listening, reframing)
10. * Ability to facilitate problem solving between
the parties, especially in the areas of divorce
including, but not limited to, parenting, support,
division of assets/liabilities, insurance, tax
filing, etc.;
11. Knowledge of conflict management skills;
12. Understanding concepts of mediator influence
and neutrality;
13. Knowledge of standards of practice and how
ethical issues are resolved;
14. Ability to recognize when the assistance of
other professionals might be helpful to the mediation
process and to facilitate this discussion with
the parties; and
15. Awareness of what additional knowledge/skills/experience/supervision
may be necessary for the successful practice of
mediation and how to get it.
* For 30-hour Family Mediation Programs,
substitute appropriate content area(s).
General Guidelines
for Training Approval
Thirty-hour Family Mediation Training Programs
and 40-hour Divorce Mediation Training Programs
are viewed by the Association for Conflict Resolution
as introductory courses for the practitioner-to-be.
They differ from more generic mediation training
programs in that they are family-focused. ACR-approved
training programs, including skills-building and
role-play exercises, must reflect this focus.
Training approval will be based on three distinct
components of the application:
1. the applicant's qualifications to offer training
2. the training materials (student manual and
handouts)
3. the design of the training program
Applicant's
qualifications to offer training
Minimally, all applicants must be current Advanced
Practitioner member of ACR's Family Section and
must have previous experience as a presenter in
relevant workshops, seminars, and courses. To
ensure currency and relevance of experience, applicants
must have mediated no fewer than 20 family cases
within the past two years. Active involvement
and currency in the field (e.g., service on local
councils, participation in continuing education
opportunities, etc.) is desirable but not required.
Please submit the following:
Please note that any co-trainer in your
program who participates actively for 20 hours
or more must meet the same criteria.
The Student
Manual
Submit a clear and comprehensive training manual
for students. Materials must be more than a compilation
of materials from other sources. Your manual should
be a reflection of your contributions to the training
experience and therefore some of the materials
should be written by you. While some copied materials
from leaders in the field are suggested, you must
provide appropriate attribution to adhere to copyright
law. Permission must be granted from the source
(except for short quotes) and proper attribution
must be noted.
Training materials should be a guide to which
your students can turn when they set to practice
and should therefore stand alone as a guide to
mastering the content of family/divorce mediation,
regardless of the training approach. Good questions
to ask yourself are, "If a student were to
be absent for any portion of the training program,
would the manual provide what the student missed?"
"Would a student be able to return to the
manual at a later date and pick up necessary knowledge
or skills to improve his/her competency as a mediator?"
At a minimum, the manual and training materials
should address the following content areas: conflict
resolution, mediation theory, communication skills,
divorce reactions and needs*, financial information,
domestic violence, and ethics/ACR Standards of
Practice.
* For 30-hour Family Mediation programs,
substitute appropriate content areas.
Design of
the program
ACR reviewers are unable to observe the training
program for which you seek approval, so it is
important that you fully describe the nature of
the training experience. To assist you in this
effort, the ACR Family Section has identified
15 outcomes that we believe are basic requirements
for any family and/or divorce mediation training
program.
Please complete a separate strategy sheet for
each of the 15 outcomes and identify what strategies
you will use to accomplish each goal. Write 1-2
paragraphs under each outcome to demonstrate your
specific teaching methods and what trainees will
experience. Submissions must contain a clear plan
describing what information will be presented,
how it will be delivered, and what opportunities
your students will have to practice the skills
involved. Confine yourself to one side of an 8.5"
X 11" page for each outcome. If referring
to pages in your manual, please list the page
numbers. Forms for your use and a sample response
are included with the application.
Please note time frames in your training agenda
to help reviewers identify where you are placing
your emphasis. Training programs should include
a variety of approaches (discussion, lecture,
role play, video, demonstration etc.) and provide
guidance on what students might need after completing
the training. For example, what resources and
suggestions will you provide for students to enhance
their skills and increase their depth of understanding
of concepts? What opportunities or resources exist
for students to gain experience and supervision
necessary for successful practice of mediation?
Please also note the following:
-
Assigned reading: While
extensive supplementary reading is encouraged,
reading time may not be counted toward the
30- or 40-hour requirement.
-
Role Play: There is a significant
difference between role-plays and demonstrations.
The latter SHOW someone how YOU do something,
while the former provide the student with
the opportunity to develop and practice a
skill and receive feedback on his/her mastery.
A minimum of six hours of role-play is required
for both 30- and 40-hour training programs.
Please include your role-play scenarios with
your application, and describe how each is
incorporated into the training agenda and
schedule. Trainers should not attempt to supervise
more than two small role-plays (groups of
four or fewer) or more than one large role-play
(groups of five or more) at any one time.
Using additional trainers/coaches is encouraged
for this phase of training.
-
Scheduling: Training programs
must be taught over five days or more for
40-hour programs (four days or more for 30-hour
programs) in blocks of three or more hours
each. For each training day of six hours or
more, there must be a 30-minute meal break
and 30 additional minutes for breaks. Each
day, a maximum of 30 break minutes may be
counted toward the 30- or 40- hour requirement.
-
Trainer participation: At
all times, a trainer must be present who meets
the requirements for Advanced Practitioner
membership in ACR.
If your training program meets the above criteria,
please click on the link to the left to download
an Application for Approval and submit it with
supporting documentation to the ACR Office.
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