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Mediation Service, Inc.
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Last Updated
July 28, 2003

Frequently Asked Questions About Mediation Training

 

What Kind of Credentialling Does NVMS Offer?

NVMS provides professional development training for all types of professionals seeking training in mediation and conrlict resolution topics. Basically two types of credentials can be gained by taking a substantial number of workshops through NVMS:
1- Mediator Certification by the Supreme Court of Virginia and
2- NVMS non-academic Certificate Programs.

There is a significant amount of overlap between the two programs and they can be worked on concurrently. Currently most states, including Virginia, do not require certification to practice mediation. Certification by the Supreme Court of Virginia is required for mediators who want to be placed on the court referral list. (Although this is not generally how cases are referred.) You can find out more about the two tracks here:
Information about Certification in Virginia
About NVMS Certificate Programs
FAQ About Virginia Mediator Certification

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To Become A Mediator; Where Do I Start ?
If you want to learn mediation skills, then you need to take the 20 hr "Mediation Skills and Process" training first. This is the basic intro course and is required for most of the NVMS Certificate Programs and can also be used to fulfill the Virginia Supreme Court requirement for those wishing to pursue state certification. Its a good way to both "get your feet wet" to see if your interest holds up and to add core conflict resolution skills to your everyday activities.
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Does Professional Experience & Prior Training Count?
Virginia Mediator Certification: Specific prior mediation training may be applied to your certified mediator training. The decision on this is made on an individual basis by the Supreme Court of Virginia. You can call the Department of Dispute Resolution Services (DRS) in Richmond 804-371-6065 to discuss this. They will generally waive the "Orientation to Virginia Judicial Systems" workshop for active members of the Virginia State Bar; "Domestic Violence Assessment" for social workers or court employes who have experience and training in dealing with domestic violence issues as it relates to mediation; "Mediation Skills & Process" if you have had a comparable 20 hr (or more) workshop in another state or which did not obtain prior approval; and/or some of the observations and co-mediations, if you have prior mediation experience. The DRS will generally NOT waive other requirements based on experience that is not directly related to mediation, even if that experience or training is relevant - such as for those who are professional attorneys, social workers or therapists. Also - keep in mind that if you are obtaining a waiver of the 20 hour mediation skills, you will probably need to take at least the 2 hour "Ethics for Virginia Mediators" workshop or its equivalent at a conference, etc.

NVMS Certificate Programs: You can waive up to one workshop upon satisfactory evidence of having completed a comparable workshop someplace else. You can also substitute one workshop per program if a particular class does not fit in your schedule, is cancelled or if another workshop would better suit your professional goals.

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Where Can I Sign-up To Receive Cases?

Rosters: There are a number of professional mediator rosters that you may be able to sign up for. These include: State court mediation rosters (such as the Virginia Certified Mediator List), The World Bank, The National Association of Securities Dealers, The DOJ Americans With Disabilities Act Mediation Program (currently closed), The National Roster of Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals, the proposed Federal Mediation & Concilliation Service "Registry of Neutrals" for employment related disputes, and others. Most require experience and additional training or background education or experience. That is the hard part - getting cases. However, none of these will likely lead to a substantial number of fee-paying cases of the type that would substantially support a professional practice.

Business Planning: NVMS can provide excellent mediation training and practice experience but we do not have the experience, expertise or programs to help you develop the business planning and marketing skills needed for an independent consulting practice in mediation. For this we make the following recommendations:

  • Do Not copy the NVMS business plan! Many mediators trained through NVMS follow a business plan similar to NVMS - focusing on court referred cases, sliding scale fee cases, low income and underserved areas, and "shallow pockets" such as schools, communities, familes, youth and non-profits. All of these mediators, though they may be highly skilled, are not successful financially. While this is very important work for society - and we encourage you to give back to your community - to be financially successful you need to develop a business plan that focuses on selling desired services to those with the "deep pockets" to pay for them.
  • NVMS offers two ways to find out how other mediators are gaining success: First, we offer a free workshop called "Careers in Mediation." This workshop features a panel of experienced, successful, mediators who speak briefly on the path they have followed and then invite questions from the audience. Second, we offer the free "Monday Night Forum" Program on the fourth Monday evening of the month, about eight months per year. This program offers both continuing education and an opportunity to network with your peers in mediation. Both are listed in the NVMS training schedule.
  • Third, we recommend contacting the Small Business Development Center at George Mason University for low cost ($45) workshops in marketing, consulting, business planning and other topics. They can be found on the web at http://www.sbdc.org.

As with any other professional endeavor, developing a professional mediation or conflict resolution consulting practice is neither quick nor easy!


Are There Prerequisites For The Classes?
Our trainings are divided into three basic categories: "Conflict Resolution," "Mediation Skills" and "Advanced Mediation Skills." Any workshops listed under "Conflict Resolution Skills" can be taken in any order at any time. For "Mediation Skills" the main prerequisite is that you need to have the 20 hr Mediation Skills and Process before taking any other general or advanced mediation trainings and an additional 20 hr Family Mediation Skills training before taking any other general or advanced family mediation trainings.
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Do I Apply To GMU To Take NVMS Workshops?
No, NVMS is affiliated with GMU but not a part of it academically. NVMS programs and workshops are non-academic, professional development training programs. You just call our training coordinator at 703-993-3724 or fill out a registration form from out website and mail or fax it in. NVMS Registration Information
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Can I Mediate In More Than One Practice Area?
Different backgrounds may be useful in getting work in specific areas of mediation, but aside from our Certificate Programs that try to target a skill-set, there are no licensing or credentialing options for specific areas (ie. real estate, construction, etc.) But these skills will help you target your market and you may be able to carve a niche for yourself. Here is an outside link that may be useful as you research careers in mediation: CR Info.
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Can I Use A Government Purchase Order?
Yes. We would just need a copy before you attend the training. You will see in the catalog that there are two tuition rates. The higher number is the regular tuition rate and the lower rate reflects a discount when registration is paid by check or credit card at least 10 days in advance. Purchase orders that need to be invoiced are not eligible for the discount unless we get paid by credit card.
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Can NVMS Deliver Training On My Site?
Yes. You can order any of the training in our catalog for delivery on your site. We usually price training by the hour, half-day or full-day so there are often savings compared to our per-person charge. For more information or a specific quote, please call our Training Coordinator at 703-993-3724, go to our On-Site Training Page or complete and fax us a Request for Training Quote.
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Where Can I Find More Information?

If you can't find what you're looking for in this FAQ or the following links, please give our training coordinator a call at 703-993-3724!
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What Qualities Make a Good Mediator?

Here are the Top Ten qualities posessed by excellent mediators. The presence of the first two qualities seems pretty key for mediators to be able to learn and develop the next eight characteristics. The reverse of this also seems to be true. That is, those who do not posess or develop the first two characteristics often have difficulty developing one or more of the other abilities - and the quality of their mediation suffers.

  1. A recognition that no one is every completely trained as a mediator and,
  2. An openness to continual self-reflection and learning through working with other mediators, attending continuing professional education programs, seeking and listening to feedback from their peers, clients and co-mediators, and reading and writing about mediation.
  3. The ability to project a non-judgemental attitude toward their clients and their clients' issues;
  4. The ability to recognize their own biases and deal with them appropriately by disclosing them before or during mediation, by avoiding matters where their biases may impair their ability to mediate in an impartial and non-judgemental way, or by taking steps to minimize the impact of their biases during the mediation;
  5. The ability to remain impartial as to the final decisions that the parties will make;
  6. The ability to avoid guiding the mediation towards their own preconceived solutions based either on their own case analysis or on their personal subject matter knowledge;
  7. The ability to leave ownership of the problem and its solution exclusively with the parties and to avoid having a personal investment in getting an agreement or in the particular nature of the outcome;
  8. The ability to approach clients with both empathy for them and their situation and a certain amount of detatchment so that the mediation remains neutral - and the ability to balance these two characteristics effectively;
  9. The ability to listen and hear the parties, understand their meaning behind their words and be able to reflect that back to both the parties, and;
  10. The ability to think globally (eg. see the big picture) and creatively, while being able to focus themselves and the parties on the detail level.
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