Offered by
The State of Kansas
Tenth Judicial District
Domestic Court Services
588 East Santa Fe, Suite 4000
Olathe, Kansas 66061
Purpose: This program is designed to provide professionals with a clinical training experience in court ordered domestic mediation to help them meet the state requirements for initial approval to mediate court order cases.
Clinical Experience: During the course of the program the student will have the opportunity to observe and perform all aspects of court ordered domestic mediation including parties' orientation to mediation, data gathering, agenda setting, mediating agreements, preparing written agreements, and closure. The supervisor will also provide the student with appropriate preparation and mentoring for each case.
Supervision: Domestic Court Services staff who are credentialed by the State of Kansas as court ordered domestic mediators and mediation mentors supervise the student's clinical experience. Whenever possible, a female student will be paired with a male supervisor, and a male student paired with a female supervisor to provide gender balance in mediation sessions.
The supervisor will, at all times, be responsible for the conduct of the mediation process, and may, at the supervisor's discretion, intervene at any time including removing the student from a case.
Clinical Time: Each student will be involved in three domestic cases, with an anticipated 18 hours of minimum client contact time. In addition the student will receive a minimum of 11 hours of supervision and spend approximately 8 hours in self-study and preparation tasks.
The program may last up to or exceed six months in length depending on the availability and needs of cases, the supervisor's availability, and the student's availability. The supervisor will make every effort to schedule cases to keep the student's commitment to a minimum. However, constraints on the student's availability will tend to lengthen the total duration required to complete the program.
Any constraints on the student's availability will tend to lengthen the total duration required to complete the program. The student will also be expected to keep the duration of their training program to a minimum to insure the quality of their learning experience. If a student is unable to accommodate their next case in less than two months, their learning will be seriously compromised by the delay. Continuation of their program will be at the discretion of the supervisor and Director. [1] This does not include time needed for remedial cases.
Compliance: this program meets the requirements for co-mediation and/or supervision under the Kansas State Supreme Court Rule 902.
Requirements: Candidates will have completed a basic 40-hour domestic court mediation program course or the equivalent, approved by the Director of the Office of Dispute Resolution for the Supreme Court of Kansas before entering into this program.
Due to the Court Services setting’s requirements, the student will need to complete a criminal records check before their clinical experience can be scheduled. The form for this check is found at the end of this contract. This form should be completed and mailed with the program application to
Deborah Medlock
Johnson County Court Services
588 East Santa Fe, Suite 4000
Olathe, Kansas 66061.
Note: The start of each student’s clinical course will be determined with the student after this criminal records check has been completed and the student has passed this requirement.
Also, the student will not be currently involved as a party in an open active domestic case in any jurisdiction, to avoid the blurring of the student’s personal life and the setting and purpose of the clinical training.
Evaluation: Ongoing evaluation of the student's performance will be provided by the supervisor.
Personal qualities of an effective mediator are
Strong people skills,
Analytical thinking ability, and
have the presence, competence, and integrity to generate the trust of the parties.
Criteria recommended by the Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution for the Supreme Court of Kansas will be used (see "Mediator Evaluation Form" in the manual). The specific standard for the program is performance in the third case format must be rated at least "average" in all areas before the student a) will receive a letter of completion.
In the event performance at this point is less than "average," the supervisor will assign the student to an additional case or take other steps as may be appropriate, after consultation with the Director, including terminating the program.
After the student completes their last case, they will complete a self-evaluation of their training experience and discuss this evaluation with their supervisor.
Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest: The student, by entering the program, accepts the legal and ethical requirement to keep all information learned in mediation sessions confidential. This information cannot be revealed or used, unless readily discoverable through other means, in the future.
The student will insure that any notes taken during a case are free of identifying information including names, addresses, unique aspects that would tend to suggest a person's identify, etc.
Students will be given the name of parties before a case begins. The student is expected to identify to the supervisor any conflict of interest they may have with a case before they meet or receive information about the family. If a student discovers what may be a conflict of interest during a case, the student will immediately inform the supervisor, and the supervisor will determine the appropriate action to be taken, including disclosure to both parties of the potential conflict and the student's withdrawal from the case if one of the parties request.
It would be ethically prudent for any mediator who is or will be a practicing attorney or employed by a practicing attorney, to avoid mediating cases with past clients, friends, or relatives. Likewise, it would be
ethically prudent for any mediator who is or will be a practicing attorney to avoid taking as clients any party who was part of a mediation case in the program.
The supervisor will be responsible for determining if and when information about child abuse/neglect or an intended crime will be reported to authorities.
Any occasion where confidentiality or conflict of interest is breached during the program will result in immediate termination of the student.
Program Completion: A reference letter will be provided to the student who satisfactorily completes the program. This letter will include the "Mediator Evaluation Form" including the supervisor’s recommendation statement regarding OJA approval for inclusion with the student’s OJA application.
Application: Candidates will make requests for the program to Adriana Weatherspoon, Domestic Director. Applications and background checks will be reviewed to determine suitability for the program.
Upon acceptance for the program, Shorey Berlin will contact the student and begin scheduling sessions.
Application and Release Form
Tuition: The cost of the program is 350 dollars, payable in advance to the Director, by check to the "Kansas 10th Jud. Dist. Domestic Court Services."
Tuition is not refundable once the program has begun. Because the student’s benefit from the program depends on their skill, performance, and commitment, tuition does not guarantee successful completion of the program.
Transition: If a student transitions into the Internship Program from the Co-Mediation Program, the student will enter the Internship phase with the second co-mediation case format, after all the requirements of the Co-Mediation option are completed.
An additional tuition payment of 350 dollars, payable in advance to the Director, by check to the "Kansas 10th Jud. Dist. Domestic Court Services." is required for this transition.
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