About Conflict and Conflict Resolution

Becoming a Mediator

Training and "Certification"
The first thing to make clear is that there is no such thing as a state-certified mediator in the State of Texas.  There are various organizations, agencies, and institutions that may grant credentials or institutional certificates, but there is no mediator licensing in Texas.  Unlike CPAs (certified public accountants) or attorneys there is no licensure or official certification process.  Therefore, if someone claims to be a "certified mediator" they are being misleading, if not dishonest.  What a potential mediation customer should look for is the amount of training and experience a particular mediator has. 

A State of Texas Statute requires only a 40 classroom hour training to be allowed to mediate court-appointed cases in Texas, with 24 additional classroom hours if people want to mediate cases involving the parent-child relationship (usually that means divorces). 

The Texas Mediator Credentialing Association (TMCA) has established criteria for granting various levels of credentials, but the TMCA is a voluntary organization and is not State-sanctioned.  That organization was formed as a response to the Texas Supreme Court's desire for better quality mediators in the State.

Importance of Mediation Training
As with any profession there is a specialized body of knowledge as well as certain skills that practitioners should have.  A 40 hour training may equip a person to begin doing mediations, but does not qualify them as a professional mediator.  The mediation setting involves conflicts in which there is a very complex set of variables including differing: personalities, circumstances, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, gender, histories, and many others.  Dealing with this complexity in a sensitive and intelligent manner takes knowledge, skill, and experience.  The knowledge base and skills mediators should have can be acquired and learned, but it takes hard work and dedication.

Who Becomes a Mediator?
Although training alone does not make a good mediator, it is an important factor in the acquisition of mediation skills.  Other factors are work or life experiences in dealing with conflicts.  People who acquire mediator training are often attorneys, mental health professionals, and individuals with a wide variety of life experiences with schools, family, churches, and friends who may have a particular aptitude for listening and assisting people to resolve conflicts. 

How to Get Training

• Basic Mediator Training
  If you want to be a mediator, an important first step is to acquire basic mediator training from a qualified trainer who has high standards.  A question you want to ask is: "Does your training conform to the standards for 40 hour training promulgated by the Texas Mediation Trainers Roundtable see TMTR.org.  You can find those standards on their website.  If you go to that website and read those standards, you can begin to see the complexity of mediation and the specialized knowledge and skills involved in this emerging profession. 

• Additional Training Including Practicum
  In addition to the 40 hr. training, you will need as much training as possible, but especially some practical experience (preferably supervised) actually doing mediations.  Look for a program that provides the real experience that is so crucial to your development as a mediator. 

• Quality of Training Agency
  Just because an agency charges a lot for their training does not necessarily mean that their training is superior.  There are State-supported institutions that can provide training at a very reasonable price because they are funded by the taxpayers.  It is also not necessarily true that a training by a State-supported institution is superior.  Talk to others who have received their training at that school and ascertain as best you can that the training conforms to TMTR standards.  If trainers are not even aware of those standards or cannot describe them or give evidence that they have structured their program to meet the standards, then you should be skeptical.

• Mediation Certificate Programs
  Most agencies provide some kind of certificate of completion after each course or workshop completed.  Some institutions offer a cluster of courses, workshops, etc. required if students wish to receive a program certificate.  Make sure you receive some paper certificate of completion after each of your trainings.  You can use this as evidence of your training and education for potential clients. Ask the teachers or directors of these training programs what their philosophy is and how their courses fit into that philosophy.  If they cannot speak to this issue, it may reflect poorly on the quality of training. 

• Importance of Networking
  The training program should also provide opportunities for networking with other professionals.  This is important for your own professional growth and knowledge.  If you already have a social network of friends and associates who might provide you with referrals, you are at a distinct advantage.  For example, if you are acquainted with attorneys who use mediators, or mental health or public officials who refer clients to mediators, this can be very useful. 

• Hard Work and Dedication Keys to Success
  Establishing a mediation practice takes hard work and dedication.  It is not easy.  It will also require enthusiasm and self confidence as well as marketing skills.  The hard truth is that compared to the plethora of people who are trained (with 40 hr. training) in mediation, there are very few who make money at it and even fewer who can support themselves solely on money made in a mediation practice. 

• Remember Career and Personal Enhancement
  Remember, regardless of whether or not you make a lot of money at mediation, the skills and knowledge you learn in your mediation training will help you in your own personal life and in almost any other walk of life where there are conflicts. 

• See also: Career in Mediation.