Have You Launched Your Divorce/Family Mediation Practice?

Dear Family Mediator,

Have you successfully launched your divorce/family mediation practice?

Are you satisfied with your divorce/family mediation practice?

Newly trained mediators often report that they face obstacles in their efforts to launch their divorce/family mediation practices. It seems that whether the goal is to build a practice for couples that are represented by attorneys or for those that are pro-se, the road to private practice is often bumpy. Obstacles can include:

• a lack of confidence regarding the novice mediator’s ability to effectively facilitate the session,
• a lack of confidence regarding the mediator’s knowledge of the legalities involved in divorce, including calculating child support and writing the marital settlement agreement,
• market saturation,
• a failure to create an inclusive marketing plan, and
• the lack of a professional mentor and/or a support system.

If these or any other obstacle has kept you from achieving your goal of launching a divorce/family mediation practice, please don't give up. I have long believed that the 40-hour training model that we use in Florida is only a first step for embarking upon a new career as a professional divorce/family mediator. If you are already certified but you still feel unprepared to go to the next level, I have a solution for you. If you have tried to get your practice going with less then satisfactory results, I have a solution for you.  You are invited to join "Launch Your Practice: A Professional Group For Divorce/Family Mediators."  The group will meet over a six month period. During this time we will explore topics related to mediation techniques and strategies as well as to the marketing of a mediation practice. Our time together will include three day-long meetings (August 2009, October 2009, and January 2010), bi-monthly phone conversations and an in-depth email dialogue. Enrollment is limited and participants will be selected so that there will be no direct geographic market competitors. Please call or email me if you want to learn more.

All the best,

Elinor

Elinor Robin, PhD
Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator and Mediation Trainer
Boca Raton, FL
954-415-5645 CELL
elinorobin@aol.com