About the Training
This intensive 40-hour course is designed for those interested in developing mediation and conflict resolution skills. Participants will learn the eight-stage mediation model, conflict theory and styles, mediator communication skills, and principles of conflict resolution. Combining theory and practice, students will participate in mock mediations and receive a certificate of completion after the course.
Why Become a Mediator? Video courtesy of Resolution Washington.
-
The November 2025 training will be held over six days at the following dates and times. Attendance at the entire training is required.
Wednesday, November 5, 9:00 am-4:30 pm
Thursday, November 6, 9:00 am-4:30 pm
Friday, November 7, 9:00 am-4:30 pm
Wednesday, November 12, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Thursday, November 13, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Friday, November 14, 9:00 am-6:00 pm
-
The November 2025 training will be held online via Zoom.
-
Because Professional Mediation Training requires a serious commitment from both participants and WDRC staff and trainers, we require a $100 deposit to hold your place in the training.
The $100 deposit will be applied to the full training fee:
$695 early-bird fee - payment deadline: September 5, 2025
$795 regular fee - payment deadline: October 15, 2025
-
The $100 deposit is non-refundable.
Cancellations made before October 8, 2025, are eligible for a full refund, less the $100 deposit.
Cancellations made after October 8, 2025, are not eligible for a refund, but participants may be able to transfer their deposit and training fee to a future training within the next calendar year.
-
November 2025 Scholarship Timeline
September 5: Scholarship application due
September 19: WDRC responds to scholarship applicants
October 15: Mutually agreed upon deposit due
November 5: Professional Mediation Training begins
There are two scholarships available to help defray the costs of Professional Mediation Training:
Boskey Diversity Scholarship
James B. Boskey was a pioneer in alternative dispute resolution. One of the missions of his memorial foundation is to support students seeking mediation training. The Boskey Diversity Scholarship helps the WDRC further diversify the pool of mediators serving Whatcom County, especially people from marginalized groups who identify as multilingual, multicultural, and people of color.
Need-Based Scholarships
The WDRC also offers limited Need-Based Scholarships to those whose financial situations would otherwise prevent them from being able to afford the full registration fee.
If selected, all scholarship recipients must agree to:
Pay a mutually agreed upon deposit prior to the beginning of the training
Attend all 40 hours of the training
Provide a short testimonial about the recipient’s experience in the training and how the scholarship assisted the recipient to participate
Pay any additional mutually agreed upon amount within three months of completing the training
Additionally, upon completing the training, all scholarship participants are strongly encouraged, to the best of their ability, to:
Share their knowledge and experience with their community
Meet with the Mediation Program Manager to assess interest in applying for the practicum program (additional scholarship funds are available for PMT scholarship recipients)
Apply for the WDRC practicum and, if accepted, participate fully to complete the certification process
Upon certification, become a volunteer mediator for the WDRC
-
Professional Mediation Training meets the requirements for 35 CLE credits through the Washington State Bar Association for a fee of $125.
Professional Mediation training can also be counted as 35 clock hours for Washington State educators through OSPI for a fee of $125.
Please indicate on the registration form if you’re interested in CLE credits or clock hours. For more information and to confirm eligibility, please contact the WDRC at training@whatcomdrc.org.
-
Moonwater is an experienced mediator, facilitator, and trainer. She holds an MPA from Seattle University, where she specialized in non-profit management, and a BA in Psychology from Whitman College. She is past president of Resolution Washington, the statewide Association of Dispute Resolution Centers, and currently serves on the Bellingham-Whatcom Commission on Sexual & Domestic Violence. With past membership on the Board of the Washington Mediation Association, Whatcom County's Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force, and Washington State's Charities Advisory Council, Moonwater is attuned to a broad swath of nonprofit, justice, and dispute resolution issues, needs, and opportunities. In 2017, she was recognized as Professional Woman of the Year by Whatcom Women in Business. Since 2005, she has served as the Executive Director of the non-profit Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center. Along with her passion for the field, her family, and all things sweet, Moonwater has enjoyed teaching the art of mediation to students for the past 17 years.
“A well-thought-out, fully engrossing dive into professional mediation, delivered virtually in such a way as to feel absolutely nothing was missed from an in-person experience.”