The dates and frequency of our training classes and the screening process for mediator trainees are established based on the community needs in Montgomery County. Dates for the next training classes will be announced on this website, so please be sure to check the website regularly for training announcements. If you do not have regular computer access and would like to be added to the training notification list, please contact the DRC-MC Manager of Volunteer Engagement and Development at 936-760-6914, Ext. 4.
- 40 Hour General Mediation Training: June 6,7,12, 13 & 14, 2024 – details
- Family Mediation Training: March 5-7 (Full day) and March 8, 2025 (partial day) – details
- CPS Mediation Training: TBD
Note: the DRC-MC requires a background check on individuals mediating or observing a mediation in which minors are mediation participants.
The dates, frequency of our training and the screening process for mediator trainees are established based on the community needs in Montgomery County. Volunteer applications are accepted year round.
Training Team
40 Hour General Mediation Classes are taught by Walter A. Wright, J.D., L.L.M, with assistance of experienced mediators who act as trainers/coaches.
Local judges, attorneys, professionals and experienced mediators act as trainers and/or coaches for the Advanced Family and CPS Mediation Classes. All trainers and coaches are senior mediators from varied professional backgrounds who bring richness to the training through varied perspectives and practices as mediators.
Classes comply with statutory and Texas Mediator Trainers Roundtable requirements and employ a variety of interactive techniques, including skill demonstrations and role plays by the trainees.
About the Trainer
Walter A. Wright, J.D., LL.M., is an associate professor in the Legal Studies Program of the Department of Political Science at Texas State University, where he teaches courses in law and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). He is also an adjunct professor of mediation at the University of Texas School of Law and the Universidad de Alcalá de Henares (Spain). An attorney and mediator, he received B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Houston and an LL.M. in International Legal Studies from New York University. He is former president of the Texas Association of Mediators and the Association of Attorney-Mediators. His current activities include service as editor-in-chief of El Acuerdo, an ADR newsletter published in Buenos Aires, Argentina; as a JAMS Foundation – ACR Grant Advisor for the Association for Conflict Resolution; and as a member of the advisory board of the Central Texas Dispute Resolution Center. Since 1996, he has enjoyed teaching ADR courses and conducting facilitated dialogues in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. He has published over 100 book chapters and articles, mostly related to law and mediation, in the United States and Latin America, and he holds a designation as a Credentialed Mediator with the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association.
Philosophy
Mediation is a process which empowers the parties to a dispute to explore their conflict, generate many possible solutions and reach resolutions which are satisfactory to each party. They may also decide that it is not resolvable at that time.
It is a collaborative, intuitive, flexible, creative and synergistic process. Research suggests that talking face to face also teaches communication skills which carry over into the relationship well beyond the end of the mediation process.
While courts and attorneys are involved in most cases at the DRC-MC, we strive to keep the parties in control of the content and outcome of the mediation.
The mediators retain control of the process.
