Dispute Mediation Service Practicum Program

To help bridge the gap between classroom training and conducting your first mediation, Dispute Mediation Service offers a Practicum Program to newly trained mediators.

Our program gives trainees an opportunity to participate in mediations as observers, to demonstrate their skills in a mock mediation, to co-mediate and then to mediate on their own.

The Practicum is an excellent way to gain hands-on experience in a structured environment at Dispute Mediation Service.

We take enormous pride in the quality of our volunteer mediators. Consequently, in order to be eligible to mediate at Dispute Mediation Service, we require all mediators, whether new or experienced, to pass our Practicum Program before becoming part of our volunteer corps.

Volunteer mediators who have been inactive for six months or longer must retake the Practicum Program to continue mediating at Dispute Mediation Service. This ensures that we are consistently providing excellent service to the Dallas community.

Course Fees and Payment Policy

$250 non-refundable fee.

Dispute Mediation Service accepts cash, checks, American Express, Visa or MasterCard. Payment is due 30 days prior to the beginning of training.

We accept up to sixty Practicum students annually.

Prerequisites

Practicum I Basic (prerequisites): 40-Hour Basic Mediation course.

Practicum II Family/Divorce (prerequisites): 40-Hour Basic Mediation course and 30-Hour Family/Divorce Mediation course.

Program Details

Our Practicum program requires trainees to:

• Observe four (4) mediations and two (2) co-mediations
• Conduct a mock mediation role-play and to be assessed by a trained mediator
• Co-mediate two (2) sessions with a veteran mediator (after a successful mock mediation role-play)

After completing the two co-mediations, the Practicum is complete. The trainee may then be eligible to solo mediate on a volunteer basis if both the trainee and Dispute Mediation Service are comfortable with the trainee’s skills and if the trainee meets our other volunteer requirements.

Upon acceptance as a volunteer, trainees debrief with a staff member after all mediations. This is a standard practice for all mediations performed at Dispute Mediation Service. Trainees are observed and accessed by a staff member and/or experienced mediator to ensure their mediation skill set grows.

Enrollment and Scheduling

• The Practicum Program has ongoing open enrollment based upon availability.
• Due to the number of individuals in the program, it may take up to six months to complete.
• Trainees must have e-mail access as most scheduling is done via e-mail. All scheduling is done by Tracy Crissup.
• When a trainee is scheduled to participate in a mediation session, he/she will be given a five five-digit case number (i.e. 32145). The trainee must have that number upon arrival to the mediation.
• Mediation sessions are typically held at 9:00am or 1:30pm.

Receiving Credit for Your Observations

There are two steps to receive credit for an observation:

1. Trainees will be given a log sheet. The observation must be logged on the sheet and signed off on by a Dispute Mediation Service executive after each observation.
2. Trainees must complete the Dispute Mediation Service observation evaluation at the end of each mediation session.

There are occasions when a party or parties do not show up for a scheduled mediation. When this happens, no credit will be given as the mediation did not take place for the trainee to observe.

Useful Information

• Our standard practice is to confirm that all parties will attend their scheduled mediation. Despite confirmations, late cancellations do occasionally occur.
• We ask that Practicum trainees call us the day before a scheduled mediation to ensure that the parties have confirmed.
• Trainees must have the five-digit case number (i.e., 32145) when they sign in as an observer.

Arriving for the Observation

• Dress code is business or business casual.
• Please arrive 10-15 minutes early so that you can be checked in and meet the mediator. If the trainee does not arrive on time, the mediation will NOT be delayed and the trainee will NOT be allowed to observe once mediation has started.
• Parking: Park in the Visitors parking garage and sign in at the Security desk. When you sign in, indicate the make/model of your car and that you are at “DMS”. This will exempt you from the two–hour parking limit.
• We are located on the 10th floor in Suite 1010. Check in with the receptionist and give her the five- digit case number (i.e. 32145). She will need this information to know what mediation the trainee is observing.

After the Observation / Co-Mediation

• All Practicum trainees are required to complete an observation evaluation form after each mediation session. Return it to the receptionist when complete.
• The trainee and mediator will debrief with a Dispute Mediation Service staff member after each mediation session. This gives the trainee an opportunity to ask questions and share insights regarding what was observed in the mediation.