Join a team of experienced mediators and divorce professionals in this interactive, hands-on training designed for mediators looking to stay at the top of their game. Over the course of six training sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the latest methods from experts in the fields of divorce mediation, high conflict personalities, financials, real estate and much more. You’ll also put your new skills to the test by participating in a series of three practicums, which will give you access to real-time coaching and feedback. The prerequisite for this course is the completion of the 40-hour Basic Mediation Training.

Schedule

Tuesday, February 21st, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Advanced Mediation Skills

For this module, lead trainer Matthew Carroll will go over skills, tools, and facilitate interactive exercises that are used in Divorce Mediation. We will take a deep dive into reframing summarizing, flip side, and other tools to discuss and highlight the importance on when to strategically use these tools in the divorce setting. We will discuss blending mediation modules (Facilitative, Evaluative, and Transformative) to create your own unique style as a mediator.

Thursday, February 23rd, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Emotions and High Conflict Personalities in Divorce

For this module, we will be joined by Dr. Jennifer Yalowitz, LFMT* who will be presenting and discussing the emotions that couples are going through during divorce, why people are triggered and flooded easily, and how to best adjust to a highly emotional process. We will discuss high conflict personalities (HCP), recognizing how and when to change mediation styles when dealing with HCP’s, using CAUCUS, BIFF, CARS, AND EAR Responses to assist with communication styles, and managing difficult personalities in mediation.

Saturday, February 25th, 9:00am – 12:00pm

Practicum #1

For our first practicum, you will put into practice the skills learned and discussed on Tuesday to manage emotions of role players through simulations. We will have coaches available to give feedback and tips/advice on how to improve as a facilitator.

Tuesday, February 28th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Financials In Divorce

For this module, we will be joined by Marya Pleasant (CDFA, CFP) to discuss the difficulties of dealing with financials in mediation. From limited discovery, financial affidavits, valuing Pension Funds, and knowing what requires a QDRO or QILDRO when splitting retirement assets.

Thursday, March 2nd, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Real Estate In Divorce

For this module, we will be joined by Doug Katz, (MBA, CDLP, CCRS) a certified Real Estate Neutral to discuss valuation of marital homes, assumptions of mortgages, difficulty of refinancing with higher interest rates, property taxes, investment properties, and other strategies.

Saturday, March 4th, 9:00am – 12:00pm

Practicum #2

For this practicum, you will take the skills you learned from week #1 and combine those skills from what you learned from week #2 to mediate financial and real estate simulations.

Tuesday, March 7th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Parenting Plans and Related Topics

Matthew Carroll will discuss strategies for helping clients craft their own parenting plans, what a parenting plan for each child could look like, legal decision making (custody) decisions, communication, discipline, education, healthcare, and other topics.

Thursday, March 9th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Spousal Maintenance / Child Support / Managing the Process

For this module, Matthew Carroll and Marya Pleasant will talk about Spousal Maintenance, Child Support, Deviations from support guidelines, and other outstanding and unique financial matters like valuating a business. Matthew will provide strategies and discuss managing the complete mediation process from start to finish to allow for your clients to have a satisfactory divorce experience.

Saturday, March 11th, 9:00am – 12:00pm

Practicum #3

For our final simulation, we will be engaging two professional actors who will role play an entire divorce process with children, possible HCP personality type, and difficult financial situations. Each mediator will facilitate a portion of a “complete” mediation from beginning to the end in a fishbowl style of mediation.