Become a Professional Mediator
We provide mediation training courses to enable you to become a family mediator, community mediator or a civil and commercial mediator.
Our courses are recognised by the Family Mediation Council, Family Mediation Standards Board and the College of Mediators
A fresh approach to mediation training
The LBA Excellence programme was the very first modular Mediation Foundation Training course, and we continue to innovate to give you a firm grounding in the fundamentals of mediation skills and processes before applying those to your chosen specialist area of dispute resolution and giving you a recognised mediation qualification.
We also enable qualified mediators who have already trained in one area of mediation to convert to another area without having to go back to basics each time.
Each Foundation course builds on the other, creating a path to full specialism:
Successful completion of the Essentials and Fundamentals courses enables you to register with the College of Mediators as a Community and Workplace mediator.
Successful completion of the combined Essentials, Fundamentals and Family Specialism Courses enables you to register with the Family Mediation Council, and as such allows you to progress as a professional Family Mediator. You are also able to register as a Trained Family Mediator with the College of Mediators. Read more about the course here
Course Levels
Essentials
If you would like to find out more about mediation and learn key conflict resolution skills this is the course for you. It is ideal for those who deal with conflict in their everyday work and for those who are considering a career in mediation.
Total course duration: 3 weeks
The course is not assessed
Awards: College of Mediators CPD course certificate of attendance and ability to join as an associate (non-practicing) member
Fundamentals of Dispute Resolution
If you want to practice as a professional mediator this course gives you the skills and knowledge to successfully enable people in dispute to find a way forward that feels fair and workable for them. This broad-based course gives you an insight into different types and styles of mediation used in a wide range of situations including community, neighbour, commercial and family conflicts.
Total course duration: 6 weeks (including the Essentials sessions)
The course is assessed
Awards: successful completion of both course and assessment leads to a College of Mediators recognised Community and Workplace Mediation qualification and ability to join the College of Mediators as a practicing mediator.
Family Mediator Specialism
If you want to practice as a professional family mediator, this is one of only a handful of courses which has recognition from both the College of Mediators and the Family Mediation Council.
FMC recognition is essential for those intending to offer family mediation to those who are separating or divorcing and likely to be using the family court. It is also essential for those who may wish to offer legally aided family mediation.
Total course duration: 10 weeks (including the Essentials and Fundamentals sessions)
The course is assessed
Awards: Successful completion of course and assessment leads to ability to register with the Family Mediation Council as a trained family mediator and to join the College of Mediators as a practicing mediator for family, workplace and community matters.
What makes the LBA Excellence programme different?
Our blended learning course combines both In-Person Training and Online Sessions to maximise flexibility for course participants and allows you to practice and develop both your in-person and online mediation skills. Each online session is three hours long and is supported by our in-person Mediation Skills School sessions which take place in person over two days.
You have a choice of three training levels to achieve a standard appropriate for the type of mediation work you wish to do. Each course builds on the previous level giving you maximum flexibility to train at the pace and to the level you wish.
The Family Specialism course is currently only open to mediators who are attending our Essentials and Fundamentals of Dispute Resolution courses. Those wishing to train as a professional Family Mediator are advised to attend all three Essentials, Fundamentals and Family Specialism Courses in combination. Please contact us or see the FMC website for full details of entry requirements for Family Mediation Training.
What our trainees say about online training:
“Surprised how good it has been – in a good way !”
“I really enjoyed Zoom as a way of taking the course. The level of teaching and interaction on Zoom is as effective as if it was delivered in person.”
“….. a very efficient cost effective way to deliver this type of course and information without any loss of quality” .
Autumn course dates announced
Book Now to to avoid disappointment
Course dates and duration
Online sessions are 10am to 1pm, in-person days are 9:30am to 5pm:
| Essential Dispute Resolution Skills - Autumn 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Session 1 (Online) – 9th September 2025 Session 2 (Online) – 11th September 2025 Session 3 (Online) – 15th September 2025 Session 4 (Online) – 19th September 2025 | Session 5 (Online) – 23rd September 2025 Session 6 (Online) – 24th September 2025 Session 7 (Online) – 25th September 2025 |
| Fundamentals of Dispute Resolution - Autumn 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 1st Skills School (In-Person, London) – 30th Sept,1st Oct 2025 Session 3 (Online) – 7th October 2025 | Session 4 (Online) – 8th October 2025 Session 5 (Online) – 9th October 2025 |
| Family Specialism - Autumn 2025 | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Skills School (In-Person, London) – 14th & 15th October 2025 Session 3 (Online) – 4th November 2025 Session 4 (Online) – 6th November 2025 Session 5 (Online) – 11th November 2025 Session 6 (Online) – 13th November 2025 | Session 7 (Online) – 18th November 2025 Session 8 (Online) – 20th November 2025 Session 9 (Online) – 27th November 2025 Final Skills School, (In-Person) – 3 days – 2nd to 4th December 2025 |
If you would like to find out more, please email us at enquiries@bestwayforward.training or Apply Online!
Course dates and duration
These are the dates for our next courses.
Course Fees
Course fees are:
Essentials only (3 weeks): £680 + VAT (£200 deposit)
Essentials and Fundamentals (6 weeks): £1,280 + VAT (£500 deposit)
Full Specialism (10 weeks): £2,400. (£500 deposit) + VAT
Please note that there are additional requirements for entry and post training in Family Mediation, for more information see our 2024 Mediation Foundation pack (available when you register.
When booking on our courses, you will need to pay a deposit to secure their place when they make their application. You can then pay the outstanding balance before the start of the course.
If you are booking onto the Fundamentals and Specialism course we can arrange payment by instalments, usually due before the start of each of the courses.
Successful completion of the complete Essentials, Fundamentals and Family Specialism Courses (including the introductory course) enables you to register with the Family Mediation Council, and as such allows you to progress as a professional Family Mediator. You are also able to register as a Trained Family Mediator with the College of Mediators. Successful completion up to the Fundamentals course alone enables you to register with the College of Mediators as a community and workplace mediator.
If you are interested in attending a course but would like to know more, please contact us on 01793 887227 or email enquiries@bestwayforward.com. Or just Apply Online!
Post Training Support
We believe that good mediation training is much more than just providing an initial course. We offer post course support services including mentoring and professional practice consultancy to those looking to start up their own practice and work towards higher accredited status such as the FMCA. We will also try to help you find a mediation practice placement and keep you informed of regular work, training and networking and support opportunities. Please ask for a Training Pack to find out more.
Specialism Courses
These courses typically follow directly on from the Fundamentals Courses. They are for those who have completed the Fundamentals Course and wish to specialise in a specific area of mediation and be able to join national registers such as the College of Mediators and the Family Mediation Council as a Trained Mediator in that area. These courses can in some cases, also be accessed by trained mediators (i.e. those who already hold qualifications which would enable them to join the College of Mediators at least at Trained Mediator level), for example a community mediator who would like to offer Civil & Commercial mediation.
Contact us on 01793 887227 or email enquiries@bestwayforward.com to find out more.
Contact us to find out more
If you would like to discuss a potential career as a mediator or you are an organisation seeking training in mediation skills to compliment the current skills of your team, or for any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01793 887227 or at enquiries@bestwayforward.training.