I was speaking with a colleague, who works for a CMC in the MD state system, on Tuesday. He had just been observed mediating as part of a new mediator certification process. I’m intrigued by the description. The main website is http://www.mcdr.org/, and there’s a link on the left “Certification Process.” Requirements to be evaluated are 40 hours of training and 1 year experience (not defined), and the evaluation consists of a written evaluation and scored, observed role play.

I know that MD and NY have been working evaluating mediators in a meaningful, systematic way, and I’m definitely interested in seeing how this works.

But personally I’d hate like hell to see “life experience” as the sole requirement for entry into the field or for any special weight to be given to it. As a mediation trainer, I’ve seen college students with greater innate skills as peacemaker than people in their 70′s with decades of “life experience” under their belts. In fact, some of those highly experienced folks have many years of bad habits to break. In my own case, my own life experience didn’t much help me in becoming a mediator; in fact, I think it got in the way. I had law school training and my litigator’s instincts to overcome after all.

Thanks, Dustin – really appreciate it!

P.S. You’re fortunate that you evidently had grandparents who were skilled conflict resolvers. I love all four of my grandparents, all, alas dead for many years now, but none of them, despite the other fine qualities they possessed, could have mediated their way out of a paper bag.