Credentialing is a three-step process: Training, Experience, and Demonstrated Competency

Training Component
A minimum of thirty-two (32) hours of mediation skills training.

You can best meet the training requirement by completing NCRC’s 32-hour, four-day Introductory Mediation Skills Training. This course exceeds training standards under current California law and the San Diego Superior Court General Civil Mediation Program.

Alternatively, you may meet the training requirement by completing an equivalent course with another training provider, subject to the approval of the NCRC Training Institute. Supplemental training may be recommended. In any case, you should enroll in the credentialing program within two years of an approved 32-hour training course.

Gaining Experience
Our Standard Curriculum is a minimum of twenty hours of supervised mediation experience. You observe and mediate a combination of real and simulated cases over an intense six-to-twelve-month practicum with NCRC mediation programs—a minimum of two observations and six mediations. These experiences equal at least twenty hours of live mediation experience under supervised conditions. You will have many opportunities for guidance, feedback, coaching, and consultation with training staff throughout this phase.

In NCRC’s Customized Curriculum program, if you have prior mediation experience, you may receive a partial waiver of the experiential component, subject to the approval of the NCRC Training Institute. Prior experience means conducting a structured mediation process “at the table.” An individualized curriculum of observations and coaching will be developed.

Demonstrating Competency
You demonstrate your competency through a live Mediator Performance Evaluation. For this, you conduct a simulated mediation under the observation of NCRC evaluators. Professional actors play disputants’ roles. A comprehensive assessment instrument evaluates your competency in eighteen different skill areas. You receive a detailed report containing specific information identifying areas of demonstrated strengths and weaknesses.

The final evaluation may be taken twice. You must receive a passing report in order to earn the NCRC Mediator Credential.