FINDING A MEDIATOR

I’ve received requests asking where to find a qualified mediator. There is no national training requirements nor credentialing for mediators. The qualifications vary widely from state to state so there is no national registry for mediators. Generally, then, the following are sources to consider:

1. Mediators affiliated with a community program. Most community mediation centers have their own training and experience standards for their mediators. Search the internet for the nearest community mediation program.

2. Private mediators are individuals who offer their services to the general public. In general, there are no training nor certification requirements to be a private mediator. Many publicize their services on the internet.

3. Mediators listed through national and state nonprofit professional organizations. Some of these organizations do set training and experience requirements to be listed in their directories, but the requirements will vary from group to group.

4. Mediators listed on commercial directory websites. Many of these also do set training and experience requirements to be listed on their websites, but the requirements will vary. The most well-known is mediate.com.

My guideline for selecting a mediator is the number of sessions the individual has conducted as a mediator or co-mediator including, of course, volunteer dispute resolution. All things considered, I put the most weight on experience.

Some mediators will advertise a “success rate.” By that, they mean what percentage of their mediations resulted in agreements. If a mediator tells you they have a 95% success rate my concern is how much was that person forced a positive outcome in order to maintain a high settlement rate. In other words, was the mediator not honoring the ethical standard of self-determination to have such results.  

You can’t evaluate a mediator by their fee. Most mediation is of no or low cost to the participants. Community mediation centers provide services on a sliding scale or at low or no cost. Some of the very best mediators I know don’t charge at all because they are volunteers.

In mediation you will often get much more than what you pay for.