The Katallasso Group is the home and originator of Restorative Family Mediation™. Restorative Family Mediation™ adopts a restorative approach that is strengths-based, community-driven and allows for shared distribution of power. It's goal is to strengthen, repair, restore, or reconcile relationships. It's a highly inclusive mediation model that helps settle not only the external conflict of the parties but their internal conflicts as well. Most people in conflict have deeply rooted values that can easily be accounted for in the mediation setting and common ground can be built as the mediator builds a "safe container" for the parties to have the conversations they need to have. We include the process of a restorative circle within the mediation process and this alone, sets its technique apart from all other forms of mediation. This technique works exceptionally well in matters that require resolution, restoration, reconciliation, and even accountability. This means it's flexible enough for very complex matters in child welfare or social services. You'll mostly see RFM utilized where parent and child relationships are challenged. Occassionally, a Restorative Family Mediator provides mediation for divorce or post decree.
We believe when families have the ability to take responsibility and control of the process and outcomes they have a greater chance at success (defined in their terms, of course). We see a unique issue that mediators need additional skills in the family mediation arena because of the propensity of entrenched “destructive patterns” in chronically conflicted or anxious family systems that require a well-differentiated leader to help "reset" the patterns towards constructive (this includes the sometimes inflammatory behavior of opposing counsel or other influencers).
There are three critical areas of restorative family mediation training that participants will learn:
The neutrality of the mediator - is of utmost importance. This means a mediator must have tangible skills and practical techniques to manage oneself in the midst of highly anxious/conflicted family systems and influencers.
Process - Employing a light and transformative technique called restorative circles to support:
The substantive norms of the group
Constructive communication throughout the duration of mediation,
Giving parties the control of that process for decision-making, and
Minimizing coercion of the mediator, legal counsel (if included), and outside influencers.
Outcomes - Parties define all the terms and conditions for what they want and then seek out the option of drafting an agreement reflecting their self-determination.
*Sources:
Folger, Joseph P., Robert A. Baruch Bush, and Dorothy J. Della Noce, Transformative Mediation: A Sourcebook Resources for Conflict Intervention Practitioners and Programs. Reston, Va: Association for Conflict Resolution, 2010.
Welsh, Nancy, "The Thinning Vision of Self-Determination in Court Connected Mediation: The Inevitable Price of Institutionalization?", Harvard Negotiation Law Review, Vol. 6 (2001b):30.
Anyone that is interested in being trained in restorative family mediation can be trained! If an individual trained in restorative family mediation wants to be listed on a court-approved roster for mediation (qualified neutral/facilitator) referrals, they may need to meet certain training requirements (including mediation skills training, subject matter training including family law, ethics, domestic violence, statutory knowledge, roleplaying opportunities and/or supervised mediation practice).
In Minnesota, our court-approved training qualifies an individual to be placed on the MN court roster as a “qualified neutral under Rule 114 of the MN General Rules of Practice,” so long as they meet the requirements listed here. In Minnesota, our standards tend to be among the highest training standards across the country, so our training is highly transferable to any jurisdiction.
FYI: If you live in another jurisdiction, please click here to check mediator training requirements in your state (US based).
We recommend doing local research and letting your office know the MN Judicial website for ADR which includes our training and training standards. We are not focused on other areas other than MN. It is our priority to provide a quality training experience based on Minnesota standards. Therefore, we will do not have capacity to work individually with each jurisdiction for certification.
You will be expected to attend all 40 hours of training and complete coursework and final projects in a timely manner. We carry the same standards of participation in our classroom environments. Failure to do so will result in no certificate of completion. We reserve the right to dismiss individuals not honoring the classroom values, not attending all required hours, or causing disruptions.
The Katallasso Group offers a MN court-approved 40-Hour Restorative Family Mediation (RFM) training program that trains individuals to become qualified neutrals under Rule 114 of the MN General Rules of Practice (including Domestic Violence) for the purpose of implementing programs. We add to our training package a Program in a Box. A comprehensive mega-file designed to launch you in a school based practice including all forms, brochures, agreements, and a whole lot more.
All of our training is conducted by Zoom (5 full days). You will need to work directly with your jurisdiction office on ADR specifications, we solely focus on MN standards and do not have capacity to engage other state offices at this time. You'll also receive a full day of training to learn how to best implement your Program in a Box with ongoing coaching for 1 year.
In our training, we prepare mediators to understand neutrality in the face of chronic or highly conflicted/anxious people systems. Mediators will leave training aware they are safeguarding the self-determination of individuals and capable of guiding them to realities they've defined - even in the face of powerful influencers in their mediation environments. The foundation of our training is tied to Dr. Edwin Friedman's work and Bowen Family Systems Theory.
We relate closely to the work of Transformative Mediation which was originated by Robert A. Baruch Bush and Joseph P. Folger, as is further described in their book THE PROMISE OF MEDIATION (published in 1994). Traditional or facilitative mediation practice involves a mediator who facilitates decision-making processes with clients in conflict, with little to no opportunity for clients to be recognized or heard for their experiences and perspectives regarding the root of the conflict.
Because of our long history and experience in the courts, we've observed Transformative mediation has been studied to be effective in civil cases while family cases have not been thoroughly studied. Deep seated and oftentimes generational communication or relational patterns can keep people stuck in conflict, requiring a different type of mediation. Today, Restorative Family Mediation is available using techniques to support these challenges in families and supporting the creation of a new reality and decision-making.
It’s important to know that when a court sends families to mediation, it holds a tight presumption that any settlement actually represents the exercise of parties’ free will or self-determination. The Minnesota ADR Code of Ethics bans mediators from coercion - or infringing on a party's ability to self-determine in a private setting. This is a good thing especially for families to know while the courts may be sending them to mediation.
Disputants should be at the core of the mediation process meaning they are the principal actors and creators within the process. (Not legal counsel which is what we've been noticing more frequently than not.) This means parties are not relegated to being a consumer, instead, they would:
Actively & directly participate in the communication & negotiation that occurs during mediation,
Decide whom they would like to involve in the process and what that process would entail;
Choose & control substantive norms to guide their decision-making,
Create the options for settlement,
And ultimately control the final decision regarding whether or not to settle their dispute (Welsh, 17).
*We train our mediators to be highly trained to know how to safeguard and protect party self-determination in a private setting, no matter who is invited to attend the mediation environment.
Welsh, Nancy, "The Thinning Vision of Self-Determination in Court Connected Mediation: The Inevitable Price of Institutionalization?", Harvard Negotiation Law Review, Vol. 6 (2001b):17.
You are welcome to submit your Certificate of Completion or other referesher/advanced trainings with a course syllabus to your CE approving board. In the past, we've been approved for CEs for MN Rule 114 Family Mediation, MN Board Marriage/Family Therapy, Behavioral Health, and Social Work.
Yes - we offer Restorative Leadership Fundamentals to learn the basics of restorative facilitation and non-anxious leadership.
We also offer a 2 day course (Restore Home) after mediation training in Parent Conflict Coaching with Teens/Kids.
With many requests for us to expand into new jurisdictions, we've made the decision to solely focus on maintaining our credentials by providing quality and excellent mediation training with truancy prevention programming approved through the MN State Court Administration Office only. We do not have capacity, at this time, to grow beyond Minnesota. If you chose to take the training, you will need to do your own research for local needs for mediation requirements but the truancy prevention programming is transferrable anywhere.