Mediating Online:
Family & Divorce Mediation

Our Mediating Online training is intended for experienced family mediators interested in most capably extending your family and divorce mediation practice to offer effective online mediation services.   

Presenters: Jim Melamed, Clare Fowler, Michael Aurit and Colin Rule

This Mediating Online Training qualifies as the core 20-hour online mediation course required for Mediate.com Online Mediator Certification. 20 CLE/CEU hour credits available, including 2 hour credits for Ethics and 1 hour credit for domestic violence training.

This 20-hour training is now recorded and available HERE.

Watch the beginning of this training:

Day 1 - Welcome and Overview

NOTE: This 20-hour recorded training is now available HERE
 

TESTIMONIALS

No mediator should offer online mediation without this course.

The Online Mediation Training came much "ahead of the wave." It was extremely effective, quite useful and very timely.

Wow, Wow, Wow ...This training was comprehensive, detailed and informative. It made me very excited to be a Mediator - especially at this time in history.

This is a power-packed and remarkable opportunity for online dispute resolution training!  Every mediator should have these skills in their tool box in order to be current in the field. The panelists are outstanding and engaging. The material presented is well-organized and insightful. After taking this course, I am more confident and at ease with my skill set in working with parties in this virtual environment. Thank you for offering this course!

The Online Mediation training was excellent and inspirational! The trainers taught new skills, strategies and techniques, and also provided a lot of support and resources. The trainers passion and great teaching skills gave me lots of new ideas and energy for moving forward with online mediation!

The Online Family Mediation course provided by Mediate.com was top-of-the-line and addressed so many present-day concern s & responsibilities associated with mediating family cases online. It is a must-do course for anyone interested in pivoting their business to include an online option or moving entirely into an online model of practice.

This course provided valuable substantive review as well as new things to think about and consider.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Day 1 - Welcome and Overview

A.  Welcome, Quick Zoom Orientation, Recording Notice, Introductions and Participant Outcomes in Chat
B.  How the Covid-19 Crisis Has Impacted Family & Divorce Mediation 
C.  A Brief Historical Review and  The Past as Prologue 
D.  What is Online Mediation?
      1. The Evolution of ODR
      2. Communicating Through Technology
      3. Comparing Face-to-Face (FTF) and Online Mediation
      4. Asynchronous and Synchronous Interaction and Advantages and Disadvantages of ODR
      5. Critiques of ODR 
Exercise: Your Emerging Online Family Mediation Business Plan 

Day 2 - Moving Your Practice Online

A. Converting a Face-to-Face Family Mediation Practice to an Online Family Mediation Practice
B. Selling Clients on Online Mediation 
Exercise: Open Forum - Cumulative Issues Associated with Moving Your Practice Online 
 

Day 3 - Online Mediation Communication Skills

A. Open Question Forum
B. How Parties and Mediators Behave Differently Online and Diversity and Cross-Cultural Communication 
C. Core Skills for Online Mediators 
      1. Online active listening
      2. Reframing
      3. Caucusing
      4. Brainstorming
      5. Managing power differentials
      6. Drafting agreements
D.  Maximizing Mediation and Advanced Online Communication Skills 
 

Day 4 - Getting Your Mediation Started and Video Mastery

A. Getting Your Online Mediation Started:
Sample Online Agreement to Mediate, Sample Ground Rules, Sample Contact Page, and Opening Statement
B. Intake and Scheduling 
C. Video Mediation: Nuts and Bolts 
      1. Non-verbals
      2. Using breakouts and holds
      3. Screen sharing
      4. Dealing with technical issues
      5. Handling outages
D. Zoom Mastery for Mediators 
Exercise: Developing & Delivering A New Online Opening Mediator Statement (Breakout Rooms then Group Debrief)
 

Day 5 - Mediation Strategy - Pressing Issues - Parenting

A. Open Question Forum
B  Mediation Strategy and Resolving Pressing Issues
C. Mediating Parenting Plans -
D. Exercise: Fishbowl with Parenting Dispute 
 

Day 6 - System Design and Platforms

A. Open Question Forum
B. Mediating Online - The DNMEA Model and Fundamentals of ODR System Design 
C. Online Functions for Mediators to Accomplish 
D. Platform Demonstrations: Introducing CREKODR, MODRIA, Caseload Manager and more
E. The Use of Normative Stories, Exemplars and AI 

Day 7 - Financial Disclosure, Budgeting, Child Support & Finances

A. Using Forms and Surveys in Online Mediation 
B. Financial Disclosure 
C. Budgeting
D. Child Support Guideline Consideration 
E. Custom Calculations and Additional Child Expense Issues 
F. Exercise: Fish Bowl on Child Finances 
 

Day 8 - Mediating Spousal Support and Property & Debt Division

A. Mediating Spousal Support Issues Online 
B. Mediating Property, Debt and Tax Issues Online 
C. The "Shelf of Differences," Package Dealing and Integrative Negotiation
D. Group Forum: Experiences Mediating Spousal Support and Your "End Game" 
 

Day 9 - Domestic Violence Issues and Online Mediation Ethics

A. Domestic Violence Screening and Online Mediation
B. Ethical Standards for Online Mediators
C. Exercise: Ethical Dilemmas 
 

Day 10 - Drafting, Finalizing and Moving Forward

A. Mediating Legal Issues and Involving Attorneys 
B. Developing the Marital Settlement Agreement or Memorandum of Understanding
C. Open Forum on Finalizing Documents and The Ability to File Online 
D. Mediate.com Membership, Certification and Online Mediator Certification 
E. Getting Cases and Marketing 
F. ODR Events and Ongoing Skills Development
G. Conclusion and Wrap Up