Training & Consulting Programs

The Good Shepherd Mediation Program offers a variety of training programs for mediators, attorneys, youth, and adults.

• Mediation Orientation
  This FREE mini-workshop is available for groups seeking to learn more about mediation and how it works.
• Basic Mediation Training
  This 24-hour training prepares individuals to mediate family and neighborhood issues. It is a practical, interactive, hands-on workshop.
• Youth Mediator Training
  This FREE Youth Mediator Training prepares teens to facilitate the mediation process. It offers participants the opportunity to enhance their communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, writing, and decision making skills.
• Divorce & Custody Mediator Training
  This five-day workshop walks participants through the process of divorce and custody mediation from the orientation session to the completed memorandum of understanding.
• Victim Offender Conferencing Training
  All participants must agree to volunteer to complete the VOC apprenticeship and mediate a minimum of three VOC cases over the next two years. The course includes: Introduction to restorative justice principles; guest speakers; victim offender mediation process; the role of the mediator; confidentiality; the victim's experience; the offender's experience, and VOC simulations.
• Restorative Group Conferencing
  The RGC training is for mediators interested in facilitating Restorative Group Conferences at Good Shepherd Mediation Program. The course includes: introduction to restorative justice principles; the victim's experience; the offender's experience, guest speakers; the Restorative Group Conferencing process; the role of the facilitator; confidentiality; and RGC simulations.
• Representing Your Client In Mediation
  The goal of this training is to prepare attorneys to effectively represent their clients when mediation is a settlement option.
• Peer Mediation
  When students are involved in a dispute, they are asked if they would like a mediator to help them resolve their problem. If the disputants so choose, the mediators help them by using the mediation process to clarify the nature of the dispute, seek options, and reach a consensus on a mutually satisfactory solution.
• Collaborative Problem Solving in the Workplace
  The objective of this workshop is to to offer organizational leaders the skills to transform workplace conflict into an opportunity to improve communication, strengthen relationships and cultivate a climate of cooperation and productivity.
• Communication and Conflict Resolution
  Participants learn communication and conflict management skills and develop an understanding that (1) conflict is normal; (2) how we deal with conflict determines the outcome; and (3) there are positive ways to handle conflict.
• Building Relationships in a Diverse Community
  In this three-hour workshop, participants will reflect on their personal identity, discuss inter-group relations and communicate about what we can do to build relationships in a diverse community.
• Dealing Effectively with Anger
  Participants learn: (1) anger is a feeling and feelings are okay; (2) anger is okay; (3) abuse and violence are not okay; (4) constructive ways to handle your own anger; (5) constructive ways to deal with other people's anger; and (6) anger rules keep everyone safe.
• Meeting Facilitation
  Based on your experience attending meetings, WHAT WORKS? and WHAT DOESN'T? Join us for this interactive workshop and learn how to facilitate meetings and build consensus not tension.
• Effective Collaboration-Building for Community Empowerment
  How to link private, public and not-for-profit organizations for a shared purpose and meet community needs through collaborative efforts.
• Parenting Education Workshop
  Participants learn to (1) use a variety of conflict management strategies to increase parenting effectiveness; (2) analyze the situation to determine which conflict management style is most appropriate at that given time; (3) identify cooling off strategies; (4) choose consequences that are reasonable, respectful and related to the undesirable behavior; (5) use self-talk to conquer self-defeating messages; and (6) hold family meetings to solve problems and prevent conflict situations through planning.
• Conflict Coaching: Addressing Conflict When Mediation Is Declined
  The goal of this training is to prepare mediators and conflict managers how to use conflict resolution skills to "coach" people experiencing conflict when mediation or litigation is not the answer.
• Advanced Training: Multi-Party Mediation and Group Facilitation
  This workshop will prepare mediators for the challenges of facilitating and mediating multi-party disputes in a community setting.
• Advanced Training: Elder Mediation Training
  This intensive three-day training will orient experienced mediators to the kinds of issues associated with aging and the special practice issues that arise when working with older persons, their families and care givers.