People who’ve trained with National Family Mediation tell their stories
Family Mediation Training Testimonials
Julie was at University doing a business management degree. As a student she took work as an administrator in a local mediation service to earn some cash. She liked the mediation work. And she enjoyed seeing the transformation in the families who came to the service. So she decided to train as a family mediator.
She attended the NFM foundation training course. Once she had passed the course she set about getting herself supervision and practice to work towards full accreditation. She achieved full accreditation in 18 months.
During her time as a trainee, and with the support of her supervisor, Julie soon reached readiness to practice. She was signed off as competent by her supervisor four months after completing her foundation training programme. She was then able to work on cases alone and earn income for the services she provided. At this time she was paid a trainee rate. However, after successfully achieving accreditation she went on to mediate full time and charge professional fees for her services.
Julie says: “The NFM training provided me with a solid foundation upon which to build my professional practice and skills. I have never looked back from the day I decided to become a family mediator. Whilst there are times when the work is really tough the rewards are always greater. I know I can rely on NFM and my colleagues to support me and keep my practice crisp and up to date”
Mike was a social worker and was looking for a career change. He had worked with a lot of families over the years who were all in conflict. It led him to thinking there must be a better way of resolving these conflicts than fighting with the authorities and courts.
After attending a training event about dispute resolution skills he made a decision. He wanted to find out more about family mediation. Mike made contact with services in his area who advised him about the need to train. So he financed himself and attended the NFM foundation training course.
Upon completion he was successful in securing a traineeship with a local service and a local supervisor. After achieving 10 hours of face to face mediation Mike was signed off as ready to practice. At this point, he started to work on cases alone. He attracted a trainee fee for his services whilst he worked towards full accreditation. Mike achieved full accreditation in 13 months and now works part-time as a paid family mediator.
Mike says: “The work of the statutory agencies like social services is very important in helping to protect children and families from harm. But I can honestly say that training as a family mediator has transformed my practice. I have undertaken a lot of training in my social work career. But the NFM training taught me so many more skills that are so useful in so many settings. They have certainly influenced my approach to the statutory work I do. I am so glad I did it. It is so uplifting to see families transformed. They move from being at complete loggerheads and mired in conflict to achieving peace and respect for each other, rather than festering loathing”
CPD Training Testimonials
“Excellent course – well explained, useful small group exercises”
“Good, points clearly and well explained, good value”
“1st class, easy delivery and easy to follow without the jargon”
“Excellent, informative and fun.”
“Expertly, highly skilled”
