Training course on family mediation
SINCE 1987
GeA – Genitori Ancòra (Still Parents) 1 was founded in 1987
to promote the practice of family mediation in Italy.
Family mediation is a process aimed at re-organizing family relationships in the event of separation or divorce.
Requested by the parties, family mediators, in complete confidentiality and independence from judicial proceedings, help mothers and fathers to plan their own decisions about all aspects (psychological, relational, financial, organisational) of their separation, so that they can exercise shared parenting in a way which is satisfactory for both them
and their children.
The training course is accredited by the European Forum for Training and Research in Family Mediation and complies with the Code of Practice defined by S.I.Me.F – Società Italiana di Mediazione Familiare (Italian Society for Family Mediation), of which GeA
is one of the founding members.
Credits have been solicited from:
– the Lombardy Social Workers Register
– the Milan Lawyers Register
(A + B) below is the general structure of the Training Course on Family Mediation; details of single units and related contents may vary according to the needs and competences of course participants.
A. THEORETICAL-PRACTICAL TRAINING
Aims: to promote and develop knowledge/skills/behaviours relevant to family mediation practice;
Target audience: those who mean to practice family mediation. The training is aimed at:
– holders of a Master’s Degree in the following disciplines:
- psychology
- law
- sociology
- social Service
- education and Training
- equivalent degrees
– psychotherapists who are members of professional Registers; psychiatrists, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
– holders of a Bachelor’s Degree in the above-mentioned areas or equivalent qualifications, whose Cvs must be previously assessed
GeA Association reserves the right to accept enrolment only after evaluation of the candidates’ professional CVs
Contents:
– the theory of conflict; family conflict
– communication in conflict situations
– family mediation: definition, skills, areas of application
– the GeA model of family mediation
– the family mediation process:
- preliminary contact
- the pre-mediation phase, preliminary couple’s interviews and mediation assessment
- techniques for negotiation and co-operative communication
- final assessment, closure and follow-up
- managing difficulties, suspensions and failures
– basic principles of developmental psychology: children in separating couples, from conception to adolescence
– basic principles of family law: separation and divorce
– interpreting mediators’ and parents’ emotions and experiences in the mediation room
– the promotion activity of family mediators: spreading awareness and knowledge among colleagues, social services professionals, institutions, the Community
– managing the relationship with other kinds of professionals/services and Law Courts
– applying mediation techniques to other contexts
PRACTICAL EXERCISES
Simulations of family mediation, group work, case analysis
Schedule: A 240-hours course in 2-day modules (Fridays and Saturdays 9.30 a.m. – 5.30 p.m.), once a month
B. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Aims: to assess family mediation practice conducted by course participants
Target audience: attenders in the theoretical-practical training course
Contents: family mediation cases found and managed independently by course participants
Schedule: course of 80 hours to be defined in details