MACM

Part III and Part IV of four questions posed to Dr. Schneider after he presented at MACM's Annual Conference in 2007.

MACM: One past speaker at MACM indicated mediation is no longer a growing field and it might be resourceful for us to think in terms of Conflict-Resolution rather than mediation. What is your response to this statement?

Carl Schneider:  I know you have had Bernie Mayer present before me.  I fully embrace Bernie’s invitation to frame our field more widely.  Mediation is, indeed, one tool.  It may be the most rewarding in our tool-box.  But I agree with Bernie that if we are to have relevance to the larger conflicts in our day, we need to be thinking about the variety of tools in the tool-kit, and be more ready to work collaboratively with other conflict resolvers, including advocates and activists.

MACM: What advice do you give college students interested in the field of domestic mediation?

Carl Schneider: The field of divorce mediation is a difficult field to get into straight out of college. This is because it is not based on any particular discipline; rather, credibility in this area rests greatly on life experience.  So, for starter, it makes sense to build experience as a mediator in any area open to you – district court, small claims court, peace orders, day of trial mediations, civil cases, community mediation centers. This is a wonderful field to work in, but it takes time and commitment to get to the place of earning a living in this field.

 Also, you don’t so much need to do graduate work in mediation or get a master’s degree in conflict resolution (unless you want to teach in this area) as you need to get training and experience.  This is a field based on competency, not education or credentials.

Comments (2)

Thanks MACM!
written by Bob Stanhope, January 17, 2008

Thanks for sharing your Q&A session with Dr. Schneider on your site. I found it very insightful and informative. I wish I could have made it to last years Conference to hear him speak and meet him in person.

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written by Administrator, January 17, 2008

Thanks for the positive comments.

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