Through our intensive course, you’ll learn to facilitate mediation, a structured and facilitated negotiation process for resolving disputes.
You’ll gain the practical skills needed to be a mediator - an independent and impartial person who assists people in conflict to generate options, negotiate agreements and resolve disputes.
You’ll develop knowledge and skills of the mediation process, and how to apply these when working with clients, customers and colleagues, including across workplaces and community settings.
Choose to undertake an additional assessment day to become an accredited mediator and take the next step in your career.
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An interactive course with online and face-to-face blended learning - ask questions, see skills demonstrated first-hand
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Highly-experienced trainers - backgrounds in corporate, family and community mediation
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A leading provider of mediation and dispute resolution services for over 30 years, we continue to deliver both funded and unfunded services
Ideal for
People interested in learning about resolving disputes and conflicts in their workplace or personal life, and those who want to start a career as an accredited mediator.
Accreditation
After completing the course, you can elect to undertake an additional day of assessment to become an accredited mediator, in accordance with the national practice standards set by the National Mediator Accreditation System (NMAS).
The course covers all requirements of the NMAS. Relationships Australia Victoria is a Recognised Mediator Accreditation Body (RMAB).
Course structure
You’ll start by completing a series of online modules, which will include readings, interactive activities, demonstrations, video presentations and collaborative learning, to provide you with the theory and knowledge required to move on to practical activities.
These online modules should take you two days, or approximately 14 hours, to complete. This will vary based on your learning style.
You’ll then attend three days of face-to-face workshops, involving a range of interactive activities designed to maximise your learning and enable you to develop mediation skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Our highly-experienced trainers will be available during the course to provide additional learning and feedback opportunities.
Learning outcomes
The course will equip you with the knowledge and skills required to:
- understand the theory and practice of the mediation process
- assess if a conflict is suitable for mediation
- facilitate the mediation process
- understand how mediation can be applied in a variety of contexts
- respond to specific issues that may arise in the process (for example, family violence)
- assist parties to document mediation agreements.
Program outline
Online learning
Mediation overview
- ADR models
- Facilitative mediation
- Characteristics of a facilitative mediator
- NMAS standards
Mediator skills
- Communication skills
- Mediation strategies
- Ethics and self-care
Mediation process
- Process stages
- Pre-mediation
- Mediation formats
- Agreements
Face-to-face workshops
- Practical activities
- Knowledge and skill consolidation
- Simulated mediations with NMAS accredited coaches
Assessment day
- Simulated client mediation sessions
- Assessors to observe and identify required micro-skills for mediation
- Successful completion enables NMAS accreditation
About the trainers
Lilia Szarski is an accredited mediator, family dispute resolution practitioner (FDRP) and experienced trainer, including of our Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution (FDR). Lilia is also a clinical supervisor and registered psychologist.
Natasha Belmont is the Program Leader FDR and Mediation Training at RAV. She holds tertiary qualifications in law and psychology and is an experienced FDRP and child consultant. Natasha coordinates RAV’s Graduate Diploma of FDR, Mediation Training Short Course, and delivers training for RAV and external organisations. She also conducts alternative dispute resolution work for the Victorian Department of Education and Training, and the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Astrid Horter is an accredited mediator, experienced FDRP and a facilitator, assessor and coach for our Mediation and FDR training programs. Astrid has tertiary qualifications in law and psychology, and extensive experience working in community organisations as a clinical supervisor, trainer and manager.
Why choose Relationships Australia Victoria?
Relationships Australia Victoria (RAV) has been delivering mediation and other dispute resolution services for over 30 years. Our training team members are highly-experienced, nationally-accredited mediators and deliver the course as an engaging and interactive experience. Feedback from our past students has been overwhelmingly positive and indicates that the skills and knowledge that they gain equips them to support clients and staff with a specific set of tools and structure to use.
Student feedback
We are committed to providing high quality training that leads to a positive student experience at RAV. Feedback is sought from all our students through formal and informal evaluations throughout the course and this informs the ongoing development of our training programs.
Our students consistently provide positive feedback about their experience of training with RAV.
- "I really enjoyed the course. It was delivered with a mix of activities/role plays and information. Very clear and in depth."
- "All the theory is relevant, and the role playing outcomes are all the things I will be applying to my new career in mediation."
