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Mediation

Daryl Davis presenting at a Colloquiumn at Montgomery College

Montgomery College Mediation and Conflict Management Program

Interested in becoming a mediator for your job or home? Want to learn how to better resolve conflicts? Want to learn to listen more effectively, and to be heard?  Follow our program to help you gain the skills required. Mediation and Conflict Management Flyer. (PDF, Get Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader - Link opens in new window)  

40-Hour Basic Mediation Course

This course is offered once per term (fall, spring, summer) 

This 40-hour interactive and experiential training offers participants a how-to guide for conducting mediations of various types of conflicts. An introduction to conflict theory also assists you in exploring your own conflict style and how that may help or hinder the process. You will learn and practice the 7-Step Mediation Model and will learn how to handle anger, listen strategically, balances power, and write agreements. This course fulfills the requirements for Rule 17 of the Maryland Rules of Procedure for Alternative Dispute Resolution. This course is approved for 40 hours from the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. See  Course Schedule  for more information on date/cost/registration.

Mediation and Conflict Management Courses:

Register, schedule, cost

Not all Open Enrollment courses are offered every term
Looking to enhance your skill and want to mediate child custody and visitation disputes? This 20-hour Child Access 
Mediation course meets the requirements of Rule 9-205(c) of the Maryland Rules of Procedures. This interactive course includes lectures, discussions, demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and role plays. It covers Maryland laws on separation, divorce, annulment, child custody and visitation, and child and spousal support. Included are an introduction of family systems and child development theories and an overview of the emotional aspects of divorce and separation. 
There will be a discussion on the relationships among custody, visitation, and child support. Students will be taught strategies for handling power imbalances, intimidation, the effects of domestic violence, and ending a mediation safely. Emphasis will be placed on writing good memoranda of understanding that meet the needs of the parents and children. Prerequisite: Students must have completed a 40-hour basic mediation course to enroll in this course. This course is approved for 20 hours from the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. You must purchase textbook(s)/materials and bring them to the first class. 
Boost your skill and learn how to mediate for marital property disputes. This course meets the requirements of the Maryland Rules of Procedures. The class is interactive and includes lectures, discussions, demonstrations, hands-on exercises, and role plays. It covers Maryland laws on separation and divorce, including spousal support, taxes, pensions, personal property, assets, and business valuations. Emphasis will be placed on writing good memoranda of understanding that meet the needs of the participants. Prerequisite: Students must have completed a 40-hour basic mediation course to enroll in this course. It is highly recommended that students also complete the 20-Hour Child Access course before taking this course. This course is approved for 20 hours from the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners. You must purchase textbook(s)/materials and bring them to the first class.
Get your annual 2 hours of ethics and more! During this 6-hour course, you will examine and discuss challenging ethics cases. You will also participate in hands-on agreement writing to practice and hone skills that are just as important at the end of the mediation as during mediation. Part of the day will focus on an in-depth look at dealing with intense emotions in the mediation room -- the parties' as well as your own. Be prepared for lively, participatory and thought provoking discussions. Even if you took this course previously, you will find it challenging as the instructors will be using different exercises and scenarios.
How many of us have taken mediation training, gotten to the end, and realized that we just did not have much time to really get into the nitty-gritty of agreement writing? Or, how many of us have been involved in a successful mediation only to spend the next day saying, “The agreement did not address this” or “they forgot to put in a time frame for that.” In this interactive class, the focus is on the details. Participants will flesh out the who, what, where, when, and how of the agreement. They will learn how to do effective reality testing, examine temporary measures, and help parties craft agreements that last. The workshop will feature plenty of exercises, role plays, and mock-agreement writing.
This experiential and discussion-based class will help you examine your own conflict resolution approach and whether you’re getting the most from it. A blend of conflict theory, mediation techniques, and principles of negotiation will serve to help you get to a win-win solution. You will also experiment with listening and communication strategies to improve your conflict resolution skills at home, at work, and in the community. Mini-lectures, discussions, and exercises are used throughout the day.
Yelling! Emotional outburst! Fist-shaking! Do these strategies sound like any that you have used or experienced in a conflict exchange? If so, this course is for you. This session emphasizes the need to allow parties in conflict to work through their emotions in a way that leads to effective resolution. Participants will learn tools and techniques that allow parties to vent their emotions in a constructive way, while they practice active listening techniques. At the end of the class, you will be more comfortable in handling intense emotions without becoming emotionally involved yourself. The class features exercises and simulations to give you hands-on experience.
So you have taken reflective listening and you get “I” messages. Now is the time to really open your ears, eyes, mind, and heart and listen holistically. During this class, you will practice listening strategically, learn how to listen with body and mind, and how to let the speaker know they have been heard. This course is filled with exercises and simulations that encourage you to practice what you have learned in real time.
From setup to action plan, this class is essential for anyone who will ever attend or lead a meeting. During this experiential and interactive session, you will hear how to prepare, structure, and conduct facilitation for small and large groups. You will also practice facilitating for various kinds of issues including hot-button topics. You will learn to deal with difficult participants – both loud mouths and quiet passive aggressive types – some of whom just show up to undermine the process and ruin your day.
Learn when and how to negotiate. This class is an introduction to negotiation skills and their use in the home, marketplace, and workplace. Better understand the role of emotions in negotiations, learn how to separate your positions from your interests, and learn to brainstorm effectively. Emphasis is placed on reaching win-win solutions. Mini-lectures are interspersed with lots of exercises and role plays. Upon completion of the class, you will be better prepared to negotiate and to coach others in negotiation.

 

Mediation Colloquiums at Montgomery College

Since 2015, the Management & Leadership team at Montgomery College has hosted a Colloquium each fall term highlighting speakers that can teach and inform the community about a topic related to conflict management. 

Mediation Colloquiums
We're Both Right: Successful Conversations to Bridge the Divide

Fall 2019

Speaker: Darlene Floyd

Darlene Floyd, a nationally-known workshop presenter and speaker, provided us with tools and techniques to have difficulty yet powerful conversations on issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, physical and mental ability—conversations that often divide us. We moved from theory to application through group work, exercises and reflection to develop strategies to engage in more meaningful conversations. 

 

 

Daryl Davis Speaking
Re-Learning Civil Discourse in the Face of Extreme Polarization

Fall 2018 
Speaker: Daryl Davis

"How can you hate me if you don't even know me?" is the question that Daryl Davis has asked Ku Klux Klan members over several decades. During this day-long engaging and interactive workshop, Daryl shared stories of his surprising success in opening dialogues with people, like Klan members, who hold beliefs in direct opposition to everything that he stands for. His advice: "Establish dialogue. When two enemies are talking, they're not fighting." 

Dan Bernstein and Andre Johnson
A Primer on Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Fall 2017

Speakers: Dan Bernstein (left) and Andre Johnson (right)

This colloquium featured experts in the mental health and substance use fields presenting interactive workshops on basic information and skills that mediators and other conflict resolution specialists need to have when working with individuals with mental health and/or substance use concerns. The objectives of the colloquium was to help conflict resolution specialists and others engage with, validate, and have empowering conversations with these individuals.

Debby Irving and Marvin Johnson, Esq.
Unconscious Bias: Culture and Conflict

Fall 2016 
Speakers: Debby Irving (left) and Marvin Johnson, Esq. (right)

We focused on cultural differences in conflict resolution during this interactive colloquium where we discussed the challenges to move from operating within a dominant cultural paradigm to a paradigm that focuses on needs of the parties involved. Attendees also focused on the experiences they have had in their life’s journey and how they have been ingrained into the fabric of who they are today.

Cross-Cultural Considerations in Mediation and Advanced Mediator Ethics

Fall 2015 

Panel One: Cultural Considerations in Mediation 
Faten Gharib 
Sarah Kith 
Thom McCloud, JD 
Diana Ortiz 

Panel Two: The Future of Mediation in Maryland 
Jack Carpenter, JD 
Donna Duquette, JD 
Jonathan Rosenthal, Esq 

Panel Three: Confidentiality in Mediation 
Alan Weiner

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