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NMA's Family Mediation Training is an advanced training that builds on the foundations of Basic Mediation Training. It offers a minimum of 30 instructional hours over a four-day period, with a one-hour introductory session. The training prepares you for working with families who are separating and need to develop a plan for parenting from two households, as well as those who need to modify previous parenting plans due to changes such as maturing children, changes in a parent's circumstance, or the introduction of new significant others.

While the training also touches on property, finance, and child support issues, a valuable takeaway is the insight and understanding you will gain regarding working with families in conflict. Role plays will introduce participants to the use of individual private sessions, and the joint session role plays will use issues common to parenting plan development and modification. The insight and understanding gained in NMA's Family Mediation Training can also serve to provide a foundation for those with a desire to pursue additional training and work with families.

A key component of Family Mediation Training is a section on domestic violence. Participants study the power dynamics of family violence and learn techniques designed to successfully screen out cases inappropriate for mediation due to domestic violence and child abuse.

Completing this training satisfies the training requirements for mediators established in the Nebraska Parenting Act including the family violence screening and awareness requirement. This training has qualified for CLEs for attorneys in the past, including ethics hours. Please contact us about the CLE process for this training.

Training Components:

• Mediation process overview
• Nebraska family law/court system
• Child and family development
• Parenting plans
• Family violence and power dynamics
• Dealing with emotions
• State referral resources for families

Prerequisite — Basic Mediation Training is required prior to taking Family Mediation Training*. This serves two purposes.

1. This advanced training does not include instruction for mediation basics. While instructors and coaches are happy to answer occasional questions that review basic principles and practices, there is not sufficient time for an in-depth review, especially during roleplay simulations. NMA wants to ensure that participants are on a fairly even level of knowledge and have had the experience of participating in mediation sessions or roleplay before participating in this advanced training out of fairness to all participants.
2. Policy for Nebraska's Office of Dispute Resolution requires applicants wanting to become Parenting Act-approved mediators to meet specific training requirements.

See below for how this prerequisite will apply in your case.

Those seeking to become Parenting Act-approved mediators in Nebraska will need to have attended a Nebraska Office of Dispute Resolution-approved Basic Mediation Training within the last five years.

ODR-approved Basic Mediation Courses include:

• Nebraska Mediation Association
• University of Nebraska College of Law
• Creighton’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Graduate Program
• Creighton Law/Werner Institute
• UNO with instructor Cindy Tierney (instructor Katie Welsh's class was not submitted for pre-approval, but may meet the requirements; students can submit a copy of the syllabus to ODR for consideration)

For those who have attended basic training within the last five years, but chose a course not previously approved by ODR, supplemental coursework may be required to qualify for a waiver from ODR. Waivers are applied for and granted through ODR; however, NMA's one-day Basic Bridge Training is ODR-approved to help you meet the review and roleplay requirements:

• a review of mediation basics such as issues versus interests, open-ended questions, addressing impasse, or other identified areas of deficiency in the basic mediation training an applicant attended;
• participation in roleplays and/or viewing simulated mediations.

Participants must also complete a curriculum on Nebraska Law and Ethics or the training Equivalency Basic Mediation Training Self-Study Worksheet (Form ODR-BMT-F-005); 

For those who completed their basic training over 5 years ago, participants must be able to establish for ODR that they have been actively mediating or have been acquiring CMEs (Continuing Mediator Education) credits in the years since their training (which could be as simple as having attended lunch-and-learn events at one of the mediation centers). Participants may be asked to complete additional requirements such as those listed above.

Participants not planning to apply for Parenting Act-approved mediator status, whether active Nebraska attorneys who seek to improve their skills as parenting plan mediators or individuals seeking to practice as mediators outside of Nebraska, will only need to establish proficiency with the Lead Trainer for your session. This is typically accomplished by submitting the syllabus for the training you received along with your post-training history of mediation roleplay, observation, or practice. NMA may require participation in supplemental training,  such as the training in development that has been described above, at an additional cost.

*Licensed Nebraska attorneys may apply for a waiver of the sections of the training that apply to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-2938 (2) (a) and (b).

Registration:

• Includes a guided workbook.
• Is divided into two periods
  • Early registration generally closes one week prior to training dates
  • Late registration generally closes 48 hours prior to the first training date of the session
    • Late registration includes an additional fee of $50.
    • Registrants are encouraged to register early!
    • You must be a member to attend our Mediation Training, so please join or renew prior to registering for training
      • Membership is a separate $50 fee

Registration Costs:

Virtual Training:

• $850 for individual, early registrants. | Early Registration period for this training: Pending Scheduling
• $900 for individual, late registrants. | Late Registration period for this training: Pending Scheduling

Training Dates for the next Basic Mediation Training Livestream are Pending Scheduling (Registrants must attend every session.)

Training days start at 9:00 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. Central time. Registrants will need to ensure they have the bandwidth to accommodate sending and receiving both audio and video and have a landline or mobile phone with text available as a backup during the dates listed above. Prior to the one-hour check-in session, registrants will need to have downloaded Zoom.

Next Virtual Session Expected: March/April 2024!

Check Back Soon for Open Registration

In-person Training:

• $850 for individual, early registrants. | Early Registration period for this training: Registration Opening - July 28, 2023

• $900 for individual, late registrants. | Late Registration period for this training: Registration July 28 - July 30, 2023

• This fee includes lunch for each of the training days.

Training Dates for August 2023, in person at Concord Mediation Center,
Frederick Square | 2910 South 84th Street | Omaha, NE 68124:

• August 1 | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm CT
• August 2 | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm CT
• August 3 | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm CT
• August 4 | 09:00 am - 05:30 pm CT

Register for the In-Person Sessions Now!