Diane Levin recently blogged about five mediation career myths worth debunking. It’s a terrific post and her list is on-target:
1. Twenty-four (or 30 or 40) hours of training is all you need to become a mediator.
2. Lawyers are already qualified to mediate by virtue of their profession and need little if any mediation training.
3. Lawyers always make the best mediators (or, alternatively, only lawyers can be mediators).
4. Online training in mediation is a great way to get certified as a mediator.
5. I can make big money as a mediator – right after I finish my 30-hour training.
Good, good list. So I think it deserves one more:
6. I’m a certified mediator.
You are, are you? Are you sure? Says who?
Here’s the speech I deliver at the end of the occasional Basic Mediation course I teach: “Ok, so you’re all about to complete this course. You’re about to receive a certificate, a pretty little thing, that proves you put in your time. The certificate does not mean you’re certified. It means you’re certificated. Let me repeat: It does not mean you’re certified. This is not a certifying agency or body. And if I find you’re out there telling people you’re a certified mediator after taking this workshop, I will track you down with bloodhounds.”
There’s a huge difference between putting in the seat time and getting a certificate of completion and being a truly certified mediator, still a bit of a rare animal in the U.S. Though if you open your local yellow pages, you’d be tempted to conclude otherwise.
Certified vs. certificated
Certification in the U.S. is a slippery little sucker. There are some certifying programs, but not nearly as many as there are mediation trainers claiming to certify you. Or who conveniently look the other way when you misunderstand and start calling yourself a certified mediator without legitimate certification.
Who certifies? Depends on where you are and how fast and loose you are with the definition. Me, I’m a stickler on this stuff because I don’t think it’s ok to put one over on an ill-informed public. They see “certified” and they make some assumptions that are less accurate than they ever dream in far too many circumstances for my comfort. And as long as we’re a fast and loose profession on this, we’ll continue to have a hard time building legitimate credibility as a profession.
Beware of false prophets
So, who’s a legitimate certifier? In my mind these kinds of places belong on the list:
- Court programs, though I’ll echo Diane here and say that 30-40 hours is pretty bare bones for anyone, even if you think you’ve got natural talent or a prior degree that tells you all you need to know.
- Programs created by statute and regulated by an oversight board, such as the Marital Mediation Certification Board in my state of NH.
- State, regional or national associations, such as ACR. They don’t do it, but I sure wish they’d pick the issue back up. In the absence of leadership, others who shouldn’t be are filling the vacuum.
- Programs like Mediate.com‘s and IMI‘s, because I think these groups are trying to be very thoughtful about how to fill the gap left by our professional associations.
What about everyone else? If they’re not on the above list, do I think they’re taking advantage of new professionals desperate to create a modicum of credibility? No…and yes.
No, because I don’t pretend to have enough knowledge of all those out there who offer “certification,” nor of how thoughtful, thorough and right-minded they’ve been about it.
Yes, because I’m always troubled by self-proclaimed prophets. And certifiers.
There are so many training programs out there, some superb, some far less so, and a lot of these claim certification as part of their marketing. And it begs this question: Who says someone should be able to “certify” other mediators simply because they decide to do so? Because there’s a market willing to fork over the bucks for the title, not knowing any better?
It remains as true as the first time it was ever uttered: Caveat emptor.
© 2009 by Tammy Lenski. Work originally published at
Tammy, great, great post. I couldn't agree more with your additional thoughts. Please tell your students that I'll track them down with bloodhounds, too (okay, in the interests of full disclosure and accuracy, with one determined yorkie). Thanks for untangling for your readers the confused web of disinformation that exists out there about certification.
Hey there, Diane, good morning to you. I have quite the mental image of little Dhobi with a Sherlock Holmes hat, pipe and magnifying glass, tracking down errant mediators.
Glad we’re all writing and thinking about these things. I love the “alternative” roots of the profession and at the same time have some strong opinions about where the looseness that goes with alternative is problematic.
Thanks for sharing your ideas on credentialing or certified versus having a certificate. I have been stating this at training for several years now. In Texas, where I currently live, there is actually a Texas Mediator Credentialing Association that does proved voluntary credentialing on several different levels based on training, experience and other specific requirements. However to get on most court rosters or work through courts this is becoming more and more recognized and relevant. In addition trainers (voluntarily) can belong to the Texas Mediation Trainers Roundtable, a think tank and best practices type of group.
In Canada, where I hail from, there is an national group known as Family Mediation Canada which is also voluntary but offers a very rigorous certification program. So I think there is a trend to moving to more "credentialing" authorities, rather than greedy trainers offer all kinds of garbage! Like you, however, I believe there are lots of terrific training programs out there, it is just a bit of a roll of the dice what you may be getting into.
Thanks for sharing what's going on in Texas and Canada — it sounds like you stay abreast of this and make sure folks in your own trainings understand. Your comment also reminded me again how piecemeal this certification animal is at the moment, and probably pretty minimalist. Another reason for national associations to get seriously involved.
I don't know that I'd say it's a roll of the dice when someone chooses a training. Probably true too much and yet I hope you, I and others help people learn how to make informed choices about how they consume training and from whom.
Washington State Mediation Assc (WMA) http://www.washingtonmediation.org also offers a mediator certification program. It uses 3 tracks: going through a dispute resolution center, training through others, or self taught, each with progressively higher standards to qualify. Certification requires training, documented hands-on experience and letters of recommendation.
Like anything else, there are good mediators and not so good mediators who are certified, attorneys or not.
I did certify as I do believe when it's a profession that anyone could hang their shingle it's a good idea to put the effort in to demonstrate a real commitment to learning and doing it right.
When we created a local mediation WMA affiliated chapter, we determined to be on our recommended court roster WMA certification was required. Now if only our court will consider more mediation!
Its the experience that is the most important, one should start at the easiest level to get experience before taking on harder and more delicate disputes.
Hi, I actually have a question. If you are a certified mediator, do you have to be part of an association that requires you to give your certification information so that the public can look it up to verify you are certified…like for example the department of health and human resources?
Hi, Jennifer – Your question is a tough one to answer, in part because the word "certified" has become so bastardized and borrowed willy nilly in the ADR field. The best I can tell you is that it will depend on the state and the program that is doing legitimate certifying (as opposed to trainers who sell you a 40-hour training and then tell you you're certified).
I enjoyed both your article and Diane's. I wonder of the questions surrounding the term "certification" is ambiguous in states without formal training programs. I work in Florida and before I could advertise as a certified county court mediator, I had to take a Florida Supreme Court approved training program, complete the requisite observation hours, and then wait for my application to be approved by the Fl Supreme Court. In addition, there is a Mediator Ethics Advisory Committee that regulates mediation within the state. I believe clear rules and regulations set by a state ensures that the term "certification" means that you are choosing a qualified mediator.