Divorce Mediator Training

Mediation is becoming a more popular choice for divorcing couples who are looking for a more inexpensive and less adversarial divorce experience. Divorce mediator training is available for professionals who wish to add this specialty to their practice, or to focus solely on becoming a divorce mediator.

Licensing Requirements

While some states have almost no licensing requirements for divorce mediation, others have rigid requirements for divorce mediator training and who can qualify to be a divorce mediator recognized by the courts; Michigan is one such example. In Michigan a domestic relations mediator has to:

• be an attorney, psychologist, marriage therapist or family counselor
• have their masters degree in related areas such as social work or marriage therapy
• have been a family counselor for at least 5 years
• have a behavioral science graduate degree

A qualified divorce mediator in Michigan (our example state) also has to complete a 40 hour course in basic domestic relations mediation and an additional 4 hour course for domestic violence screening.  Many states that require the 40 hour basic course also require domestic violence training, but in some states the minimum for that class is 2 hours.

Observation of an actual divorce mediation is another important component of divorce mediator training, which should be followed by mediating under the supervision of an experienced mediator.

Attorneys and Therapists

Most divorce mediators are either attorneys or therapists, and often they can work together as a team.  Most law schools recognize the importance of divorce mediator training and offer courses to their students. The benefit of the divorce mediator also being an attorney is that not only are they specially trained in conflict resolution, but they understand the underlying legal issues that result from the traumatic human issues that normally accompany a divorce.

Divorce Mediator Training

Divorce mediation training courses provide an understanding of the definition of mediation, the process of mediation, give opportunities for role playing and will cover any state specific statutes that deal with divorce mediation. A divorce mediator needs to master the ability to discern whether or not potential clients are good candidates for mediation. The mediator will need to evaluate:

• if potential clients have the ability to talk and listen to each other
• if there is an acceptable balance of power between the couple; cases where domestic violence exist are particularly sensitive and likely not suitable for mediation
• the willingness of both clients to completely disclose their finances and also to believe the truth of their spouse's disclosure 
• the readiness of the clients to make major decisions that will affect the rest of their lives

Get Legal Advice

An experienced family law attorney is an excellent resource to answer your questions about divorce mediation in your state, their level of training  in this area and whether or not this is a good option for your divorce.