Conflicts are part of life. Every person is equipped with a number of “tools” to solve their own problems. But sooner or later people get “stuck” with certain triggers or recurring patterns in communication. More than once, when people choose to go to court, it leads to irreparable rupture in relationships or communications with two camps of winner and loser.

Mediation is an alternative way to resolve conflict. It is often easier to talk about a conflict with a neutral and independent person; a third party to assist in resolving or re-directing the communication. This is the role of the mediator.

The aim of mediation is to find a solution that is feasible and acceptable to all parties. People sit down with a mediator to make decisions in an efficient and sustainable way, necessary to be able to move on with their lives. People understand each other’s points of view and gain insight into the emotional process of the other. In this way constructive solutions/decisions are made.

Admission Requirements

Anyone who has a bachelor’s degree, or who can present a state of experience in conflict resolution with at least five years of professional experience, is in principle eligible to be recognized as a mediator by the Belgian Federal Mediation Commission. The basic diploma therefore does not play any role. On the contrary, an acquired expertise in a technical domain can be an asset to mediate in some conflicts. On the other hand, it is also not necessary to accept a mediation assignment as a recognized mediator that one should be an expert in the nature of the dispute, but a certain affinity with it or a familiarity with the subject matter to be discussed is desirable.

More information from the Belgian Federal Mediation Commission (Only in Dutch)

Audience

The target group is very broad and this training is open to everyone. We welcome people with the widest possible variety of expertise and experience.
Obvious professions are notaries, lawyers, psychologists, therapists, legal experts, insurance brokers, real estate agents, accountants and so on.
This training is open to anyone with an interest in conflict counseling or as personal training.

Education Requirements

The mediator training program consists of two parts, both of which are compulsory.

It is necessary to successfully complete both the basic module and at least one specialization module in order to be recognized by the Belgian Federal Mediation Commission and thus be able to work as a “accredited mediator”.

There are three specializations we offer:

• Family mediation (40h)
• Civil and Commercial Affairs (40h)
• Social Mediation (40h)

People Interaction is recognized for all these courses by the Belgian Federal Mediation Commission.

• Mediation between perpetrators and victims – in preparation by People Interaction (no accreditation possible)

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4 OPI DOC Reglement ‘Opleiding tot erkend bemiddelaar’ 20190910 (Dutch)