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MWI’s Forty-Hour Weekday Mediation Training

MWI’s Forty-Hour Weekday Mediation Training is designed to prepare managers, executives, lawyers, HR, and other professionals how to become a mediator and to effectively facilitate the mediation process. This comprehensive five-day skill-building program utilizes lectures, demonstrations, interactive exercises, supervised role-plays, and group discussions online via Zoom to prepare participants to lead the mediation process.

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MWI’s mediation trainings meet the training requirement outlined in the Massachusetts Confidentiality Statute (MGL ch233 sec 23C) and Rule 8(c)(i) of the MA Supreme Judicial Court’s Uniform Rules on Dispute Resolution. In addition, MWI’s mediation training program satisfies the training requirement for applicants for inclusion on the Category V fee-generating appointment list for Parenting Coordinators and is “Part 146 Approved” by the New York State Unified Court System ADR Office. In addition, MWI offers volunteer opportunities for participants to grow their mediation skill-set by mediating actual cases in court following the successful completion of MWI’s Forty-Hour Mediation Training Program (see below for more information).


Dates / Times

The mediation training will be held online via Zoom on the following days and times:

  • May 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 2025 (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays)
    9:00 AM to 6:00 PM ET each day

Registration & Cost

The cost of the training is $1525 per person (or $1475 if registered at least a month in advance of the program). Please call 617-895-4030 or send an email to mailbox@mwi.org with questions or for more information.

Register for this program

Sample Trainers (click on photo for bio)

Nnena Odim

Outsourced Ombuds
nnena-ombuds@mwi.org


Nnena Odim is a mediator, ombuds, attorney, trainer, and consultant. She has been mediating since 1997, and has mediated disputes involving issues such as employment, housing, business, consumer, academic/higher education, and the full range of family/domestic relations (divorce, unmarried parents, elder care, adoption, etc.). Nnena has also designed and/or led conflict management trainings for several local and national businesses and agencies, including the Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts Housing Authority, Neighborhood Works, Coca-Cola, and Netflix. In addition to her mediation and conflict resolution training background, Nnena is trained by the International Ombuds Association and has served as an ombuds for CVS, American Planning Association, and several local construction companies. After 25 years, Nnena has recently retired from Harvard Law School, where she was the Director and Senior Clinical Instructor of the Family/Domestic Violence Law Clinic at Harvard’s Legal Services Center. In addition to being an active practicing attorney in Massachusetts Family and Probate Courts, she provided experiential training to law students and taught them how to become effective and ethical attorneys.

Nnena has worked with the Harvard Mediation Program (HMP) and Harvard Program on Negotiation to provide trainings for students and community members, and to supervise Harvard Law School students in their mediation and negotiation studies. She served as a faculty and coach of mediation skills for trainings at Suffolk and Boston College Law Schools, MIT, and New England School of Law. Nnena has also served on numerous panels and speaking rosters for a variety of topics, including those on self-care and mental health for students and faculty, establishing boundaries in a professional setting, race and gender, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Nnena is a member of the HMP Advisory Board. In 2019, Nnena was honored by the Harvard Women’s Law Association International Committee. In 2015, she received the Harvard Law School Dean’s Award for Excellence, and in 2013, Nnena was a Top Women in the Law award recipient from Mass. Lawyers Weekly.

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Chuck Doran

Mediating Workplace and Franchise Matters | Outsourced Ombuds | Mediation & Negotiation Trainer
Phone: 617-895-4026  | Email: cdoran@mwi.org


Dispute Resolution Experience

Chuck Doran is an experienced mediator and outsourced ombuds specializing in the resolution of employment, franchise, and other commercial disputes. A mediator since 1992, he is a member of the CPR Dispute Resolution Panel of Distinguished Neutrals and the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. Chuck has provided mediation and other ADR services to a variety of clients including AT&T, Bose, BMW of North America, Coca-Cola, CVS Health, General Motors, Oxfam America, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), and the USPS REDRESS I and REDRESS II Mediation Panels. Chuck is a Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner (CO-OP) and a member of the International Ombuds Association who completed ombuds training with the IOA in 1995. In 1993, Chuck completed a Specialization in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. In 1994, Chuck founded MWI, a nationally recognized dispute resolution service and training organization based in Boston, MA that provides individual and corporate clients with mediation services, negotiation consulting and training, and mediation training. Chuck served as a member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Dispute Resolution and was Chair of the Qualifications Subcommittee. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Dispute Resolution Advisory Group and past president of the Association for Conflict Resolution, New England Chapter. He is also a Distinguished Fellow with the International Academy of Mediators (IAM) and a past president of IAM’s Board of Governors.


Representative Clients

  • General Motors:  Serves as a national mediator for disputes between Dealers and GM involving audit, incentive programs and fleet sales matters; Designed and led the GM Mediation and Arbitration Training Program which provided training to hundreds of GM Dealer and Corporate Mediators;  Responsible for oversight and design improvements of national mediation and arbitration program managed by MWI for General Motors;
  • BMW of North America:  Mediator for variety of matters involving BMW Motor Cars and Motorcycles. Responsible for oversight and design improvements of national mediation and arbitration program managed by MWI for BMW of North America;
  • USPS and EEOC:   Contract workplace and employment mediator with the United States Postal Service and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission mediating federal discrimination, termination, and other matters relating to the workplace;

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

  • Distinguished Fellow and Executive Committee Board Member (Past President), Board of Governors – The International Academy of Mediators (IAM) (2013 – Present);
  • Appointed to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Dispute Resolution and was Chair of the Qualifications Subcommittee (1999-2003);
  • President and Director of the Association for Conflict Resolution, New England Chapter (NE-ACR) (formerly the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution – SPIDR). Elected to serve as President and former President-Elect and Director of the six state regional chapter of ACR International (1997-2004);
  • Chair, Massachusetts Budget Coalition. Led statewide collaborative effort with 15 mediation providers across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to secure over $950,000 in legislative funding for court-connected mediation services (1997-2000);
  • Advisory Board Member, Dispute Resolution Section, Massachusetts Bar Association (2018 to present).
  • Arbitrator with the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Fee Arbitration Board (1996 to present).

Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted

  • Mediation Trainer. Designed and served as lead trainer for over seventy-five 20 to 40 hour basic and advanced training programs, totaling over 2250 hours since 1994. Mediation training clients include Coca-Cola, Bose Corporation, MWI, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and the Harvard Mediation Program at Harvard Law School;
  • Negotiation Instructor and Presenter. Chuck has worked nationally and internationally with top sales, procurement, and delivery professionals to diagnose and resolve negotiation challenges across multiple industries including financial/consulting, healthcare, and high tech. Served as a negotiation instructor for the internationally attended “Program of Instruction for Lawyers” Negotiation Workshop at Harvard Law School as a teaching assistant to Professor Roger Fisher on multiple occasions.

Background and Education

  • Graduate: Completed a Specialization in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at the Program On Negotiation, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA (1993);
  • Undergraduate: B.A., Philosophy, Binghamton University, SUNY, Binghamton, NY; President Philosophy Club / Tenure Committee (1989).

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Diana R. Chiang

Ombuds, Mediation, and Trainer
617-895-4029 | dchiang@mwi.org

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Diana Chiang is a Mediator and Manager of Commercial & Corporate Programs at Mediation Works, Inc. (MWI). As a mediator, Ms. Chiang has mediated a variety of cases in Massachusetts District, Municipal, and Probate & Family Courts, harassment prevention orders, corporate & workplace, and housing/eviction cases.

Diana is also a member of MWI’s training faculty and leads corporate and academic ADR training programs. Diana has a certification in Applied Positive Psychology and is an accredited ACTP Coach through The Flourishing Center and also serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Association for Conflict Resolution.

She earned a B.A. in Sociology & Justice Studies from the University of New Hampshire and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. Diana was an Adjunct Professor at the University of New Hampshire, before teaching negotiation at Suffolk University Law School.


Focus Areas

  • Organizational Ombuds
  • Basic and Advanced Mediation Trainer
  • Corporate & Workplace Mediation
  • EAP Mediation and Training
  • Housing and Eviction Mediation and Training

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

  • Board of Directors of the New England Association for Conflict Resolution
  • Adjunct Professor at the University of New Hampshire
  • Suffolk University Law School, Negotiation Instructor

Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted

  • Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court – Mediation Trainer
  • Collaborative Communication, Lead Trainer
  • Active Listening Skills – Ombuds Client
  • Advanced Dispute Resolution Training Programs for Probation Officers of the Probate and Family Court, Instructor
  • Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Mediation Training, Lead Trainer
  • 40 Hour Mediation Training Programs, Mediation Trainer
  • Multiple Mediation Training Programs, Coach

Background and Education

  • J.D. from Suffolk University Law School
  • Advanced Divorce & Family Mediation Training
  • Massachusetts Mediation Training, Trained Mediator
  • B.A. in Sociology & Justice Studies from the University of New Hampshire

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Vicky Bennet

Mediation Trainer with MWI
Phone:617-973-9739 | Fax: 617-973-9532 | Email: vbennet@mwi.org | Web: www.mwi.org/mentor

Click here for availability, rates, and more information | Print, PDF and email this bio


Dispute Resolution Experience

Victoria Bennet is a mediator, trainer, facilitator and consultant, providing services throughout New England since 2003. She has mediated a wide range of court-referred, government agency and private disputes, including commercial, employment, contract, tort, foreclosure, family, divorce, juvenile, community and criminal cases. Vicky has extensive experience training people from diverse backgrounds in conflict resolution skills, including custom workshop design and one-on-one executive coaching. As a consultant, she advises business owners and executive teams on partnership and board issues and managing workplace conflict.


Focus Areas

  • Workplace
  • Human resources
  • Court Mediations including Harassment Prevention and Eviction
  • Family

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

  • Mediator, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission Mediation Panel
  • Mediator, Boston Bar Association Boston Municipal Court ADR Panel
  • Mediator, ADR Network Superior Court Mediation Panel
  • MWI Mediation Panels: Probate and Family Court, Juvenile Court, District Court

Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted

  • MIT Sloan School of Management: designed and presented negotiation skills workshops
  • MWI mediation training team: MWI Executive and Mediation Trainings, MWI Mediation Training at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Administrative Office of the Trial Courts Conference
  • Mediation Coach, MWI Mentor Program
  • Guest Lecturer, “Representing Clients in Mediation,” Suffolk University Law School and Boston College Law School
  • Mediation training team, Boston College and Suffolk University School of Law
  • Mediation coach, Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School Mediation and Dispute Resolution Seminar
  • “Managing Growth: Navigating Conflict While Building Your Enterprise,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • “Effective Communication in Conflict,” 495-128 HR Collaborative
  • Mediation Skills Training, Roger Williams/University Middle East Partnership Initiative Student Leaders Program
  • “Dealing With Difficult People,” Dimeo Construction Company
  • “Tools for Difficult Conversations,” Massachusetts Association of School Committees

Background and Education

  • 300+ hours mediation and conflict resolution trainings, seminars, symposia and roundtables including:
  • MWI Executive Mediation Training, MWI Divorce Mediation Training, MWI Mentor Program, MWI Negotiation Training
  • Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Seminar, Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
  • Mediation and Conflict Management Seminar, Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School
  • Diploma in Translation, University of Geneva, Switzerland
  • B.A. (French) Dalhousie University, Canada

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This program is designed to:

  • Prepare participants to effectively facilitate the mediation process – from the opening to agreement writing.
  • Help participants apply a negotiation framework to the mediation process in order to assist parties in their efforts to define the issues, focus on their interests, and generate options that secure sound resolutions.
  • Provide participants with the skills necessary to mediate effectively, including interactive listening, asking effective questions, and overcoming barriers to agreement.

Topics to Be Covered:

  • An overview of mediation and other ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) methods; various mediation styles including facilitative, directive, and evaluative – the differences and goals.
  • The nature and dynamics of conflict.
  • The role and skills of a mediator including – setting the stage, defining the issues, identifying interests, transmitting information, communicating effectively, generating options for resolution, and drafting agreements.
  • Mediating with a co-mediator; Solo mediation techniques.
  • The five principles of mediation; Ethical duties and dilemmas facing mediators; Mediator confidentiality and liability; Dovetailing mediation and the law.
  • The art of effective questioning; Empathy and the mediation process
  • Managing challenging personalities, mediator bias, and challenges to neutrality; Dealing with power differentials.
  • State and national mediation resources; Mediation and ADR websites, listservs, and newsgroups.
Download a free guide about choosing a mediation training - click here

Location

This program will be offered online via Zoom.


Reasons to Attend:

  • Build and expand your dispute resolution skill set.
  • Enhance your communication skills and capacity to listen effectively.
  • Network with participants and a faculty of seasoned ADR professionals dedicated to your growth as a mediator.
  • Learn from lively interactive presentations and personal coaching designed to help refine your mediation skills.

Sign up for MWI’s Free Mediation Training Informational Webinar


Participants Will Receive

  • Forty hours of mediation training, including three role-play opportunities for each participant to mediate with supervision.
  • Certificate of Completion in accordance with M.G.L. chapter 233 section 23C (Confidentiality Statute).
  • A comprehensive mediation manual, bibliography, and information on state and national dispute resolution organizations via PDF.
  • This program satisfies the mediation training program requirement for applicants for inclusion on the Category V fee-generating appointment list for Parenting Coordinators.
  • CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
    • Licensed Social Workers: This program has been approved for 35 Category I Continuing Education Hours for relicensure with NASW for LICSWs.
    • Mental Health Counselors: This program has been approved for 35 Category I Continuing Education Hours with MMCEP for LMHCs.
    • Human Resource Professionals: This program has been approved for 36.5 (General) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute. Please contact MWI for details.
  • Continuing Legal Education Credits: While MWI cannot secure preapproval for CLEs in most states, MWI will work with eligible participants to apply for CLEs after successfully completing an MWI mediation training program. Please email mailbox@mwi.org for details.
  • Post-Training Support: MWI offers volunteer opportunities for participants to grow their mediation skill-set by mediating actual cases in court following the successful completion of an MWI Mediation Training Program. Click here for more information.

Please see our Open-Enrollment Mediation Training Program Schedule Overview for additional dates and programs.


For More Information

For more information about MWI’s Forty-Hour Mediation Training Program and post-training mediation opportunities with MWI, please contact Clarice Parsons at cparsons@mwi.org or 617-895-4030.

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