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This intensive five-day course provides students with the hands-on opportunity to facilitate mediation and acquire the skills used to assist couples who are divorcing to reach agreement on issues such as child custody and parenting plans, asset and debt distribution, alimony and child support, among others. Students will learn the emotional impact of divorce on the couple and the children, effective techniques to deal with impasse, when mediation may not be appropriate, issues of power imbalance and ethical concerns.
Course Materials:
Materials will be distributed on the first day of class.
The Art and Science of Advanced Family Mediation Issues DIV_MED 202-0
Becoming a successful family mediator requires not only the knowledge of legal policies and procedures but also creative solutions to every family's unique situation. This five-day program will build on the participants' divorce mediation skill set through in-depth explorations of the following topics:
Cultural Issues in Mediation
Designing a Parenting Plan
Property, Maintenance, and Child Support in Divorce Cases
Mediating Financial Matters in a Divorce
Domestic Violence
Students may register for individual days or the program or attend all five days. Students who attend the entire program can receive a certificate in Advanced Family Mediation Issues from Northwestern University.
This program is co-sponsored by the Illinois Mental Health Counselors Association. The IMHCA is licensed by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation to provide 40 CE's for LSWs, LCSWs, LPCs, LCPCs, and LMFTs.
This program may also be used to satisfy the State of Illinois's CLE requirements.
Additional Information:
Recommended prerequisite for all topics: 40 hour Divorce and Family Mediation Training (approved by Academy of Family Mediators/Association for Conflict Resolution), 40 hour mediation skills training or mediation experience.
Tuition:$1,595.00
This course is not currently being offered.
Advanced Family Mediation Issues: Cultural Issues in Mediation DIV_MED 202-1
This course explores how culture affects the way information is processed and communicated, its impact on the way power and risk are understood, and its influence on the way agreements are reached. Learning highlights will include: how to address power imbalance in culturally sensitive ways, the use of body language and physical spacing, and culturally appropriate concepts of apology, forgiveness, and saving face. This interactive course will illustrate the material through role plays and demonstrations.
Tuition:$350.00
This course is not currently being offered.
Advanced Family Mediation Issues: Designing a Parenting Plan DIV_MED 202-2
Over the course of one day, students will learn how to negotiate a parenting plan and work with all family members in divorce mediation, by including children and teens in the process. They will achieve this through an exploration of the following topics: post-divorce parenting stages, developmental issues facing children of divorced parents, interviewing the child, confidentiality issues, legal terminology, and various weekly schedules.
Advanced Family Mediation Issues: Property, Maintenance, and Child Support in Divorce Cases DIV_MED 202-3
This program will cover the legal aspects of property,maintenance, and child support for divorce mediators. With regard to property, students will learn: the definitions of marital and non-marital property in Illinois; the statutory guidelines for dividing marital property; special types of property, including pensions and the marital home; and issues regarding dissipation of marital assets and division of debts. Maintenance issues will include: the statutory factors to consider in awarding maintenance; types of maintenance, including rehabilitative and permanent maintenance; and modifiability and reviews of maintenance. Child support will include: calculating statutory child support, apportioning educational, extra-curricular expenses and medical expenses, and securing support obligations through life insurance.
Tuition:$350.00
This course is not currently being offered.
Advanced Family Mediation Issues: Mediating Financial Matters in a Divorce DIV_MED 202-4
This intensive will develop student knowledge of the financial aspects of a divorce, preparing mediators by explaining how financial matters and parenting issues are related, how children's expenses are treated, how to understand the Comprehensive Financial Statement, and how to establish post-divorce budgeting. It will also cover the following topics: marital assets vs. non-marital assets; division of property; child support, spousal support, and unallocated support; retirement plans, pension plans, and stock options; treatment of debts; and college funding.
Tuition:$350.00
This course is not currently being offered.
Advanced Family Mediation Issues: Domestic Violence DIV_MED 202-5
This advanced course explores obstacles to mediation, specifically domestic violence, although we will highlight two other impediments: substance abuse and psychiatric conditions. Participants will develop protocols for screening and mediating cases that are appropriate for mediation, and for rejecting inappropriate cases or terminating cases during mediation. The course will also present effective strategies for working with attorneys, therapists and other support persons when impediments are present. This is an interactive course with role plays and demonstrations.
