Event

The Department of Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences will offer the course ‘Family Mediation’ from the 19^th to 23^rd January, 2009.The classes will be held in the Social Sciences Faculty Lounge, UWI, St Augustine Campus from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for the duration of the course. The cost of attendance is TT $7,000 per participant and includes lunches and refreshments.  

About the Course: 

This five-day course is for mediators, counsellors, social workers and lawyers who practice in the area of Family Mediation. Participants will develop a working knowledge of models, theories, skills and approaches used in all aspects of Family Mediation practice. It is particularly useful in building expertise for mediating divorce, separation, parent-teen and family conflict cases. This course will fine tune basic competencies in mediation and develop a range of approaches for resolving family conflict.  

The course focuses on using appropriate ways to transform high conflict disputes into opportunities for working through difficult and hostile relationships. Participants will build an understanding of the role of family dynamics, power, culture and gender and how it impacts the Family Mediation process. The course also offers screening tools for domestic violence and detecting the signs of previous abuse and disempowerment during the intake process and when it arises in the session. 

With expert guidance from Professor Michael Lang, participants will work with case scenarios in live sessions to refine session skills and test approaches for increasing competencies. Using professional actors, participants will have the opportunity to work through a mediation scenario and have the opportunity to review and evaluate their skill levels and approaches. Previous training in mediation and experience working with family conflict would be beneficial for participants.  

About the Trainer: 

Trainer: Professor Michael Lang Michael Lang J.D. (Boston School of Law) is a specialist mediator and consultant on mediating divorce, separation, organizational and public policy disputes. He is a faculty member at the Sullivan U, Royal Roads U, Hamline U School of Law, Woodbury College, Carleton U and is the founding Director and Professor of Conflict Resolution at the Mc Gregor School of Antioch and the co-founder of the Certificate in Conflict Resolution Programme at University of Southern Maine. He is a past President of the Academy of Family Mediators and served as Editor in Chief of the Conflict Resolution Quarterly (1995-2001). 

He is the author of “The Making of a Mediator” and presented over 400 workshops, seminars, and lectures to professional organizations including: Academy of Family Mediators, Network, of Family and Conciliation Courts, Association for Conflict Resolution and Family Mediation Canada. 

For further information and to register please contact Victoria Hawkins at 663-3810   or Michylle Arthur at  662-2002 Ext. 3234 or email mediationtraining@fss.uwi.tt  or fax (868) 663-3810