Training

Promoting personal and professional competence

Here at Mediation Northern Ireland we have a variety of courses developed to suit the needs of our clients, from introductory to advanced level courses.

Below are details of a range of courses we have available. We offer our training both ‘off-the-shelf’ and tailored to suit your group. We have courses available on an open-access basis allowing individuals or small groups to join others for the latest training course. Alternatively if you have a group established who could benefit from our training we can deliver these courses specifically for your group.

All of our training can be tailored to meet the needs of individual clients, and independent accreditation is available for most of our courses if required. We can also provide additional learning support where necessary. By tailoring our courses, we can ensure the training meets the priorities of your group and matches the timescales that suit you.

View Information On Our Courses

Mediation Theory & Practice

Mediation Theory & Practice introduces participants to a mediation process for use in two-party disputes and constructive relationship building.

Participants will work towards achieving the following learning outcomes:

Understanding the anatomy of conflict.
Understanding the principles and practice of mediation.
Understanding how, when, why and where to use mediation.
Knowledge, understanding and practice of the mediation model.
Practice of co-mediation.
Understanding of mediation referral and administration systems necessary to offer a mediation service.

Our next Open Access programme starts in April 2024 and runs for 8 weeks on Thursdays:

April 11th, 18th, 25th

May 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th

Training days are 9:30am – 4:30pm.

For more information and to book your place, please click here.

For your group – if you are a group looking to train in mediation, we also offer this course specifically for your trainees and can deliver this at dates, times and locations that suit you. Contact us to discuss your training needs.

The Brendan McAllister Scholarship

Our friend and founding Director, Brendan McAllister passed away in December 2022. As a legacy to Brendan, we will be offering one fully funded position on each Mediation Theory and Practice programme in spring and autumn every year. To avail of this opportunity, please contact us and email a (maximum) one A4 page answer to the following question. “How would receiving this scholarship benefit you?”. We want to use this opportunity to encourage others into this field of mediation, just as Brendan did. Scholarships will be offered on a rolling basis and the successful applicants will be contacted a month before each programme starts.

Workplace Conflict Resolution Skills

According to the Labour Relations Agency, workplace conflict is costing Northern Ireland employers £850 million a year.

Workplace conflict can occur across a wide spectrum of behaviour, from a low-level difference of opinion to serious incidents of bullying or harassment.

Not all conflict is necessarily negative, but even a minor disagreement between people can fester and escalate if it is not addressed and resolved at the earliest opportunity. Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found that the single most common cause of workplace conflict is differences in personality styles.

The most common behaviour associated with conflict at work is poor communication and the consequences can range from a drop in motivation, commitment, and engagement, to high levels of anxiety, stress, and staff turnover. We believe that having our teams, staff, managers and leaders better equipped to deal with conflict makes our organisations better places to work.

Dealing with Difficult Conversations

If you struggle to have difficult conversations, then this programme is for you. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), managers tend to be most confident about the technical aspects of their role, such as meeting deadlines, managing projects and delegating tasks, compared with the ‘people’ aspects, such as managing conflict and in particular managing difficult conversations. The programme includes both theory and interactive experiential exercises.

Immersive Conflict Resolution Practice

This programme will be run in collaboration with the KN Cheung SK Chin InterSim Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. On the third day of the programme participants will have the opportunity to test out their new skills in the state-of-the-art simulation centre. This innovative and experiential new approach will utilise the latest technology to enhance and apply learning from the programme.

According to the Labour Relations Agency, workplace conflict is costing Northern Ireland employers £850 million a year. Workplace conflict can occur across a wide spectrum of behaviour, from a low-level difference of opinion to serious incidents of bullying or harassment. Not all conflict is necessarily negative, but even a minor disagreement between people can fester and escalate if it is not addressed and resolved at the earliest opportunity.

Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found that the single most common cause of workplace conflict is differences in personality styles. The most common behaviour associated with conflict at work is poor communication and the consequences can range from a drop in motivation, commitment, and engagement, to high levels of anxiety, stress, and staff turnover. We believe that having our teams, staff, managers and leaders better equipped to deal with conflict makes our organisations better places to work.

Group & Systemic Mediation

Available to those with proven experience in mediation and designed to assist the development of skills and strategies for more complex conflict intervention, particularly large group situations. This course also builds your strength as a “reflective practitioner” to foster further self-learning based on practice.

Accredited with the Open College Network (Level 4 with 6 Credits) this course provides an opportunity for mediation practitioners to build upon good practice and learn more advanced skills. The learning outcomes include:

Reflection on previous mediation practice.
Group dynamics and systems theories.
Organisational change.
Large group/complex conflict analysis tools and intervention techniques.
Opportunities for skills practice and practical case studies.
Good practice matters for mediators.

Handling Life’s Conflicts

This course provides an opportunity to learn strategies to manage conflict more effectively. Usually delivered over two or three days, the course provides an opportunity to learn skills to deal with difficult situations and everyday conflict better. Understanding conflict, styles in conflict, conflict skills and processing conflict are all covered. Learning outcomes include:

Understanding Conflict – giving insights into the structure & progression of conflict.
Self Awareness – looking at personal conflict styles & attitudes.
Conflict Skills & Strategies – exploring useful approaches to conflict situations (e.g. good communication skills, mediation or negotiation).
Working at Conflict – providing good practice models for conflict planning.

We offer this training specifically for your group, with or without Open College Network accreditation (Levels 2 or 3 with 3 Credits). Download our brochure below to find out more information and the different length and accreditation options available. Contact us today to discuss your training needs.

Customised Training & Workshops

We are interested in talking with you about your specific training needs. If the courses above are not quite what you are looking for, or the needs of your group require a different approach, contact us to discuss how we can customise our training for you.

In conversation with you we can tailor our courses to meet the needs, level, context and likely usage of your trainees, increasing the value of the course for the participants. We would be happy to meet with you at our offices in Belfast, or at a venue that suits you. Contact us today to find out how our range of training can benefit your group.