Course Overview
Welcome to MWB 650—Family Mediation
Family mediation covers a broad spectrum of conflict that impacts families including
parent/children disputes, mediating aging issues, probate and estate disputes and family business
conflicts. The growth of mediation is primarily driven by its use in divorce as a much more equitable and
less destructive resolution process than litigation. This course briefly discusses divorce mediation as part
of the much larger field of family conflict resolution. For those interested in divorce mediation as a
primary mediation practice, we always recommend students take trainings recommended by the court
system within which they expect to practice.
In this course, you will receive an overview of the field of family dispute resolution followed by an
exploration of family systems theory and development. Special issues such as abuse and power, mental
health concerns, and cultural and ethical considerations are also covered. The course will include how to
work with children and teens in mediation. The course concludes with eldercare issues, an overview of
probate and common end of life disputes, and mediation with family business conflicts.
Prerequisites
MWB 601
Required Knowledge
N/A
Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Identify family mediation models and approaches.
- Explore family dynamics.
- Identify the screening for domestic violence.
- Explore preparation for eldercare mediation cases.
- Explore the most common issues arising from probate conflicts.
- Examine the use of mediation in family business disputes.
- Identify issues in divorce mediation.
- Explore the impacts of power and culture in family mediation.
Materials
Required Reading
• Taylor, A. (2002). Family dispute resolution. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.
• Module Notes
• Module Articles
Grading
Mediators With Borders Grading Policy
| Available Grades |
|---|
| A = 90-100% |
| B = 80-89% |
| C = 70-79% |
| D = 60-69% |
| F= Below 60% |
Course Requirements
Course Activities:
Before beginning your course work, be sure to review the policies of Mediators Without Borders in the Getting
Started Lesson. If you have any questions regarding these guidelines, please feel free to direct them to your
instructor.
Reaction Papers—30%
Each paper is worth 10% of your total grade. These papers are responsive writing exercises designed to test skills
learned in each module.
Term Paper
This final paper is worth 50% of your grade and will involve more time than the reaction papers. The length is 8-10
pages and any papers under 8 pages or over 10 pages will receive points deducted from the total. This is a formal
paper and must include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph and be well organized and research
properly cited.
You will have a chance to have your instructor review your outline and beginning sources during Module 6 in
preparation for this final paper.
Participation in Weekly Online Discussions—20%
Each required discussion is worth 5% of your final grade. A series of discussion questions will be posted during the
course. By registering for a web-based course, you have made a commitment to participate regularly with your
instructor in online discussions. Because this is a self-paced course, you are not required to interact with other
students. However, your posts will be available to all students and you and they may comment and you may
interact as you would like. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of interactions with others, knowing that
you will all be interacting at different times throughout the course.
To lessen the risk of losing your work, do not write major discussion postings directly into a discussion posting.
Instead, compose and check your work in other software (such as Microsoft Word) and then paste your text into
the new posting.
FORMATTING AND STYLE FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:
All paper assignments in this course require the American Psychological Association (APA) style for formatting and references. You should be prepared to learn the necessary elements of APA style, and the course provides tools and guidelines to this end.
Unless otherwise specified, online discussion postings and responses do not require APA formatting or formal citations and references. You should always clearly state the basis, in the course material or your own research, for what you write in discussion postings.
COURSE ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION:
Course attendance and participation are required. Your activity will be tracked within the campus and available to your instructor. If you appear inactive for any length of time, it is your responsibility to inform your instructor as to the reasons for your absence so he or she can assist you in getting back on track.
Instructor Participation
Your instructor will:
- Post a welcome message within 48 hours of your enrollment being received by Mediators Without Borders.
- Schedule real-time office hours or by individual appointment.
- Will communicate with you through the campus communication tools, including internal course messaging, as well as by email.
- Respond to your communications within two business days.
- Provide you with formative feedback midway through the course based on work submitted to that point.
- Grade all formative assignments within 4 business days in 8-week courses, and will grade final summative work within 5 business days after the end of the term.
Policies
You are responsible for being familiar with all the policies that are related to your activity in this course. Complete information on these policies can be found in the Getting Started Lesson at the beginning of the course modules.
Course Schedule
This course is entirely self-paced and must be complete within 6 months of starting.
|
Module and Title |
Course Module Matrix Required Reading |
Writing and Discussion Assignments |
|---|---|---|
|
Getting Started |
Student Introduction |
|
| Module 1: Family Dynamics and Conflict |
Family Dispute Resolution text: • Chapter One: Understanding Family Dynamics • Chapter Two: Understanding Family Conflict • Chapter Three: Family Mediation Models and Approaches Module notes • Family Mediation and the INACCORD model |
M1D: Required Discussion |
| Module 2: Power and Abuse Issues |
Family Dispute Resolution text: • Chapter Four: Family Mediation Skills and Techniques • Chapter Five: Special Case Issues Module notes • Screening for Domestic Violence • Determining Mediation Appropriateness |
M2A: Paper |
| Module 3: Children in Family Mediation |
Family Dispute Resolution text: • Chapter Eleven: Parent/Teen Mediation • Chapter Twelve: Adoption, Abuse and Placement Cases Module notes • Screening for Child Abuse • Integrating Children into Family Mediation |
M3D: Required Discussion |
| Module 4: Eldercare Mediation |
Family Dispute Resolution text: • Chapter Thirteen: Elder Care and Family Medical Concerns Boodman, S. “Eldercare mediators help resolve feuds,” Washington Post online, December 14, 2010. Module Notes |
M4A Paper |
| Module 5: Probate Mediation |
CoRe Clinic (October 17, 2014). Mediation Works: Estate mediation with Colleen Cattell, QC. [Video File]. Retrieved at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UMLh1FgeyY Hartman, S. & Butterwick, S. (2010). Mediation in probate and estates cases. The Michigan State Dispute Resolution Journal, Vol.25, No.2, April 2017.Mack, M. & Butterwick, S. (2017). How mediation expands the pie, increases options and leads to win/win solutions in probate mediation. The Michigan State Dispute Resolution Journal, Vol.25, No.2, April 2017. Radford, M. (2001). Advantages and disadvantages of mediation in probate, trust and guardianship matters. Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal, Vol. 1: pp. 241-254. Module notes |
M5D: Required Discussion |
| Module 6: Family Business Disputes |
Jernigan, A. & Lord, R. (nd). The mediator’s role in the family business. American Journal of Mediation. Retrieved at www.americanjournalofmediation.com/docs/Jernigan.pdf Levinson, H. (1971). Conflicts that plague family businesses. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved athttps://hbr.org/1971/03/conflicts-that-plague-family- businesses.Module Notes • Needed • Writing Your Research Paper |
M6A Paper Final Paper Outline |
| Module 7: Marital and Divorce Mediation |
Family Dispute Resolution text: • Chapter Nine: Marital Mediation, Conciliation and Prenuptial Agreements • Chapter Ten: Divorce Mediation Module notes |
M7: : Required Discussion |
| Module 8: Ethics and Cultural Issues |
Family Dispute Resolution text: • Chapter Six: Ethics and Standards, Confidentiality and Privilege • Chapter Seven: Cultural Issues in Family Mediation Module notes |
M8A: Paper Final Research Paper |
Grade Weights
|
Activity/Assessment |
% of final grade |
|---|---|
|
Reaction Papers (3 Total) |
30% |
| Discussions (4 Total) | 20% |
| Term Paper (1 Total) | 50% |
| Total | 100% |
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