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@Do you have questions?
There are many answers below with training dates and fees.  Or call!

Click here for tuition and special discounts, like our early bird and active college student. Or call, Dr. Barbara Manousso at 713/557-1010.

ZOOM live: we are doing business, family, and divorce mediations with interactive/real time course training  online.  Call us at (713)557-1010 text/talk!

For the best in mediation training, select a mediation training program with proven leadership and lecturers who identify themselves with academic credentials and professional standing, like the staff of Manousso Mediation and Arbitration, LLC: Solution2Conflict, who are actively engaged as practitioners and leaders in the mediation and ADR field.

Have you listened to Manousso Musing on PodCasts or YouTube?

Make sure that your trainers meet the qualifications for and are members of professional mediation organizations, such as Texas Mediators Trainers Round Table (TMTR) and Texas Credentialing Association, or you won’t be getting a quality training.

Manousso Mediation and Arbitration, LLC. is an accredited sponsor of continuing education credits (CEU), approved by the State Bar of Texas, Committee on MCLE, as well as other professional organizations, such as CEU for CPA, LPC, and HR.


Arbitration Training ONLINE with ZOOM: live and interactive.

($550.00) Ask about special discounts.

Earn MCLE/CEU 10 and 4 in ethics for JD, CPA, LPC, SW, HR on Friday, 12 April 2024, from 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM, plus writing a brief opinion that will be explained in class.


Basic Mediation Training ZOOM LIVE and INTERACTIVE. 40 hours.

($975) Ask about special discounts.

Earn MCLE/CEU 40 and 4 in ethics for JD, CPA, LPC, SW, HR, includes Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR training), handouts, and notebooks:

Our next class will start be from Wednesday to Friday, April 17, 18, 19, 2024, and then the next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 23rd and 24th, 2024, from 10 AM to 6:30 PM daily.

All classes will be ZOOM live and interactive. Students must be ON CAMERA and attentive for the whole program for certificate and MCLE/CEU affirmative.


Advanced Mediation: Family-Divorce-Child Custody training live, interactive, on ZOOM. 30 hours.

($895) Ask about special discounts.

Earn MCLE/CEU 30 and 4 in ethics for JD, CPA, LPC, SW, HR.

Class will be held from <Tuesday to Friday – on March 19, 20, 21, 22, 2024, from 10 AM to 6:00 PM.  Join the eleven lecturers and interactive class on ZOOM!
New: Domestic Violence for Advance Family Training required by TX legislation
the four (4) hours required by Texas statute is yours for $150. (This Domestic Violence training is INCLUDED in our Advance Family 30 hours of training above.)

If you have taken the 30 hours of Advance Family training, but only need this DV-4 hours, then register under Advance Training drop-down ^ button.

If you are already an attorney or mediator who does not have the Texas Statute Required domestic violence (DV) training, you can take the DV only  class that will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, from 1 PM until 5:00 PM. Please send an email note with your name to mediation@manousso.us with
Subject: Domestic Violence Certificate


Parenting Coordination and Facilitation Training

($525) Ask about special discounts.

ZOOM live and interactive: Sign up for this and Advance Family at the same time and use the early bird discount (SAVE $$$) for both classes

16 hours-MCLE/CEU 16 and 4 in ethics for JD, CPA, LPC, SW, HR

In 2024, Friday and Saturday, September 20th and 21st, 2024, from 9:00AM until 5:30PM, daily.  >> AMICUS training: The PCF skills are excellent for Amicus attorneys in communicating with high conflict clients.


Elder and Adult Family Mediation Training

($600), specially discounted for family mediators.

If you have questions, call (713)557-1010. Classes are held ZOOM live and interactive.

20 hours-MCLE/CEU 20 and 3 in ethics for JD, CPA, LPC, SW, HR on Tuesday, May 7th, 1 PM to 5 PM, Wednesday, May 8th, from 10 am until 6:30 PM, Thursday, May 9th, 2024, from 10 AM until 6:30 PM

Note our NO refund policy, once you have paid for a training, but you can always reschedule online classes with a rescheduling fee of $150, if you cancel within 72 hours.

Our classes can be taken in any order, although you can’t mediate until you meet all the requirements of Texas statutes.

Classes will be held on ZOOM, so it is required for certificate attendance that students use a computer and remain on camera, ATTENTIVELY, for the duration of the training.  

Handicap accessible training venue: ZOOM live!

Texas Justice Center for Mediation and Arbitration in Bellaire off I-610 West Loop.

Ranch Office Conference Room and Virtual Office

Ranch Office Conference Room and Virtual Office

Heights Mediation Center

Brochure

The Texas Mediation Center in Bellaire and Heights Mediation Center are modern, well located, facilities dedicated to ADR meetings, where you can proudly invite your mediation and arbitration clients.

See brochure.

Basic Mediation

40 hours – Certificate Training

40 MCLE and 4 in Ethics by the State Bar of Texas, CPA, and Professional Counselors
Manousso Mediation Training has become one of the nation’s leading mediation training programs. Our students come from around the world -literally, although much of the class attendees are from around Texas. We devote more than the required time for role-plays (70%) and interactive skills that support the role-plays. When you leave our class, you are ready to mediate, and we encourage you to go forth and be the peace maker.

Read our student testimonials from real students with real names and cities. Our classes are comprised of judges, lawyers, psychologists, human source directors and administrators, teachers, musicians, ministers, priests, rabbis, retired folks, social workers, CPA, other professionals, military brass, librarians, soccer moms, paralegals, and, hopefully, you!

Our 40 hours of basic mediation training, required by Texas statute to mediate civil cases in Texas, is also the gold standard for mediation training requirements in most of the world, so our basic mediation certificate is widely accepted.  To mediate divorce-child custody-family cases, you will need 30 hours of the Advance training in Texas, in addition to the 40 hours of basic mediation certificate.  Other states might have other requirements for family cases.  We also offer 20 hours of Elder and Adult Mediation, in addition to our Advance training.  Parenting Coordination and Facilitation is another 18 hours for practitioners who want to be court appointed in cases involving high conflict divorce and child custody.

Click here to register for the Basic Mediation course

Basic Mediation

Mediation is a conflict resolution process in which an impartial third party, the mediator, assists parties involved in disputes to reach a mutually agreeable solution. The guiding principle of mediation is that all parties have the right to negotiate and attempt to determine the outcome of their conflict. 

 

Successful mediation programs are built on public confidence and understanding. Mediators bear specific responsibilities to the mediation process, the public, and the Center at which they mediate. Although mediation is a career in itself, mediation skills are a resume boost for and complements to any careers, but especially those in business, law, human resources, social and hospice workers, clergy, psychology, and medicine.

The varied backgrounds of trainees make each course rich with opportunities for networking and development of communication skills.

This course is designed to satisfy the 40 classroom hours of training required to mediate court-referred disputes as indicated in the Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution Act § 154.052, Tex. Civ. Prac. &amp; Rem. Code Ann. This course also meets the Texas Mediator Trainers Roundtable’s requirements.

Syllabus
The goal of this course is framed by the nine minimum areas of information that need to be covered in a basic mediation 40 hour training program, which include:

  1. History of Mediation
    Trainees will understand the historical perspective of mediation and its evolution over time and as it continues to evolve today.
  2. Overview of ADR Legislation in Texas
    Trainees will be introduced to legislation that regulates the practice of mediation, so they may comply with relevant legal requirements.
  3. Conflict Resolution Theory
    The theory of conflict resolution will help trainees differentiate between mediation and other forms of dispute resolution.

    1. Topics include the differences in styles of mediation such as interest-based, problem solving, transformative, facilitative, and collaborative problem solving.
    2. Course discussion will include exploring the differences among conflict resolution tools of mediation, negotiation, and facilitation skills through definitions, types of, sources of, and their role in responding to conflict.
  4. Mediation Theory and Practice
    Trainees need a theoretical grounding to understand the process fully. Trainees should understand a full range of mediation models in order to serve the parties most effectively.

    1. Topics
      1. Definition of mediation
      2. Role and characteristics of mediators
      3. Theory of mediation
      4. Benefits of the mediation process
      5. Differences in third-party roles: mediators, arbitrators, and judges
      6. Approaches to negotiation used in mediation
      7. Range of styles, types of mediators and mediations
      8. Impact of diversity issues
      9. Court systems and procedures
  5. Mediation Process and Techniques
    Trainees will use role play in conceptualizing the framework for conducting the mediation session. This requires learning key techniques to assist in managing the session’s process.

    1. Topics to learn in the process of mediation:
      1. Elements of the Mediation Process
        1. Preliminary arrangements/forms to be signed.
        2. Opening and structuring the mediation session
        3. Introduction/orientation of disputants/attorneys
        4. Gathering and exchanging information (venting/opening statements)
        5. Issue and problem clarification
        6. Generating options
        7. Bargaining and negotiation
        8. Agreement writing/enforceability
        9. Closure
      2. Techniques
        1. Trust building
        2. Reframing
        3. Keeping on track, following agenda, managing process
        4. Focusing on interests vs. positions
        5. Building on partial agreements
        6. Caucusing
        7. Reality testing
        8. Working with third parties
        9. Managing difficult people or strong emotions
  6. Self-Awareness of Trainee
    Trainees will explore how their personal characteristics, values, or biases might influence their ability to perform effectively as a mediator.

    1. Topics
      1. Diversity/cultural awareness (personal biases)
      2. Language differences
      3. Conflict style
      4. How the trainee responds to conflict
      5. Personality/style
  7. Ethics
    Trainees will learn how to support the effectiveness and credibility of the mediation process through making informed choices based on ethical principles.

    1. Topics
      1. Conflict of interest/appearance of impropriety
      2. Neutrality/impartiality
      3. Confidentiality
      4. Sample of standards recommended by dispute resolution professional organizations
      5. Staying in the role of mediator
      6. Violence, substance abuse, child abuse & neglect, screening, reporting and legal issues
      7. Power imbalances
      8. Liability
      9. Misuse of process
      10. Protecting the process
      11. Awareness of various organizations’ ethical guidelines and grievance processes
  8. Communication Skills
    Trainees will have an opportunity to learn selected written and oral communication skills in order to foster understanding and trust, elicit relevant information, and accurately track and record key areas of agreement.

    1. Skills
      1. Listening
      2. Note taking
      3. Questioning
      4. Nonverbal communication (i.e., eye contact, body language)
      5. Restating and clarifying
      6. Use of neutral language
      7. Drafting the agreement
      8. Recognizing feelings and emotions of parties
  9. Professional Considerations
    The trainers will promote the belief that continuing education and development is critical to achieving excellence in mediation. Trainees will learn about the opportunities to continue to learn, to network, to find support within the field, and to establish a professional identity.

    1. Topics
      1. Professional organizations
      2. Networking
      3. Practicum
      4. Continuing education
      5. Aspects of establishing a practice
      6. Community service
      7. Marketing your services
Lecturers

bsmlinkedln_smallDr. Barbara Sunderland Manousso, Ph.D., MPH 
2019 Recipient of the Texas Association of Mediators Adams Award in Mediation
Texas Credentialed Distinguished Mediator;   Collaborative Law Mediator;
Professor at the University of St. Thomas – Center for International StudiesGlobal Conflict Management; 2019 Texas Association of Mediators (TAM) Adams Award; 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association for Conflict Resolution Houston Chapter; Houston Business Journal 2018 – Women Who Mean Business in Professional Services; Fellow in the World Mediation OrganizationImmediate Past-Chair of the Education, Research, and Training Section of the International Association for Conflict Resolution; Past-President of the Houston Gerontology Society  2016-2018;  Member:  Train the trainer – Texas Mediators Trainers Roundtable;  Past-Chair of the Health Care Section of the International Association for Conflict Resolution;  Past-President of the Association for Conflict Resolution Houston Chapter; Parenting Coordinator; Member of the University of Texas Consortium on Aging; Past President of the University of Texas School of Public Health Alumni Association

 


Melissa Back, backJ.D., Mediator, Arbitrator
Mediator, Arbitrator, Attorney,
Adjunct Professor at the University of St. Thomas – Center for International Studies in Global Conflict Management; Immediate Past-President of the Texas Association of Mediators, President of the Texas Association of Mediators (TAM), Co-Chair of the Texas Mediators Trainers Roundtable, Board Member and Immediate Past-President of the Association for Conflict Resolution Houston Chapter, Director of Manousso Mediation and Arbitration, LLC, EEOC Mediator.
Texas Credentialed Mediator; 
Parenting Coordinator and Facilitator


Lori LaConta, Esq., MBA, Mediator, Arbitrator, Professor
Texas Credentialed Distinguished Mediator; Certified Arbitrator (AAA),
Professor in Conflict Management at the University of Houston Clear Lake, Past-President of Labor Employment Relations Association (LERA) Houston Chapter, Immediate Past President of the Texas Association of Mediators (TAM), Past-President of the Association for Conflict Resolution Houston Chapter, 
American Arbitration Association panelist, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services


Judge Josefina Rendon, J.D., Mediator
Former Harris County District Civil Court 165
City of Houston Municipal Judge
Texas Credentialed Distinguished Mediator
Past President of the Texas Association of Mediators
President-elect of the Association for Conflict Resolution Houston Chapter



Dr. J. Scott Creighton, Mediator – Arbitrator

Dr. James Scott Creighton is a professional mediator and arbitrator. He graduated Nova Southeastern University with his Doctorate (Psy.D.) and Masters (MS) in Clinical Psychology (1990). He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at McLean Hospital, Massachusetts (1990 – 1992), and appointed Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School (1990 – 1994). He served later as adjunct faculty at Wheelock College and Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He practiced privately as a psychologist from 1994 – 2012, working individually/collectively with families, schools, youth, parents, educators, prominent public officials and international celebrity figures to address matters solely related to psychological functioning (assessment, treatment and aspects of prevention). He worked concurrently in a non-profit program (Institute for Child and Adolescent Development) as Staff Psychologist, Director of Training and later Clinical Director. He relocated to Houston and incorporated ADR into his experiences, completing certificates in Basic Mediation, Advanced: Family-Divorce-Child Custody Mediation, Adult and Elder Mediation, Arbitration and Parent Coordination/Facilitation through Manousso Mediation and Arbitration. He provides mediation course instruction with Dr. Manousso’s training programs on family dynamics and personality styles. He is a mediator and arbitrator for BBB in Houston, and completing coursework in Criminal Justice related to court procedure, criminal and family law, and juvenile justice. He presented at the 2017 TAM Conference, “Mental Health in Mediation: Exploring Social Psychology and Personality Disorders in the Mediation Process.”


Dr. Habib Chamoun, International Negotiation Specialist and Author

Over the past 25 years, Dr. Chamoun – Nicolas has been conducting negotiation and business development activities in diversified sectors, oil and gas, mining and metals industry, petroleum, petrochemical, chemical, industrial, commercial, institutional, for the sales and marketing of services and products.  Among the companies he worked for are ELF Aquitaine (Total), ICA Fluor Daniel, Brown and Root. Dr. Chamoun has trained thousands business professionals on a Business Development Approach on sales and negotiation and has conducted research on how Mexicans and other cultures negotiate.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Esteban Mayer, Mediator
Cultural Diversity Expert with a thirty plus years with Children’s Protective Services and family conflicts.

 

 

 

 

 

versity Specialis


AnaMaris Cousins Price
President of the International Association of Ombudsmen
Halliburton Ombuds


Don Tomlinson, J.D., Mediator, Arbitrator
Former Ethics Professor at Texas A & M, Attorney, Mediator, Arbitrator


ABC News Event: Joe Bontke lectures on EEOC at Manousso Mediation Basic Training November 2016