On April 7 and 8 of this year, we marked a turning point in the growing professional field of elder mediation. That weekend witnessed Canada’s first ever Elder Mediation Training Program (EMTP).

My fellow professionals and I at Marathon Mediation recognized the growing need to such a program and took it upon ourselves to organize this landmark event.

I’m pleased to report that the program was rated a great success by our participants, who came from the fields of mediation, gerontology, nursing, social work, counseling, law and other professions where the need for trained elder mediation is growing.

This two-day core program is an introduction to Elder Mediation and Elder Family Conferencing™, providing participants with a fundamental knowledge base of the special issues that arise when working with older persons, their families and caregivers.

Our participants all came away expressing their desire to put their new-found knowledge to use. Fortunately, Marathon Mediation will be offering an advanced follow up program this fall, to help provide this opportunity.

(If you missed your chance to participate in April’s program, note that we will be offering the introductory course again in the fall as well, before the advanced program takes place. This will give “graduates” of both introductory courses the chance to take the next step in their training if they wish.)

Furthermore, in light of the response we received to our first EMTP, we’re now developing a new internship program in elder mediation.

Such a program will also be the first of its kind, and is more necessary than ever before. Through a reputable elder mediation internship program, participants will be able to practice the elder mediation model in the real world, and acquire invaluable professional experience, contacts and references.

I’d like to formally thank people who helped make our first Elder Mediation Training Program such a success.

First: our guest presenters provided expert insights gleaned from their work in various disciplines. Thanks again to Judith Wahl, Executive Director, the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly; Michael Gordon, M.D. M.Sc., F.R.C.P. (C.), Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System; Sharon Cohen, M.D., F.R.C.P. (C), Toronto Memory Program; Phil Epstein, Q.C., L.S.M., Cert. F. Arb., Epstein Cole LLP; and Ed Lum, Regional Consultant, Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, for so generously giving of their time and expertise.

And a special thank you to Hilary Linton of Riverdale Mediation in Toronto. She wrote about our EMTP program on her blog, helping spread the word about our first ever event. We’re so grateful.

Finally, we want to acknowledge all those who participated in our premier workshop. It was so heartening to see all these individuals gathered together in one place, eager to learn how to help our elder citizens and their families. The elder mediation profession is truly coming into its own.

If you’d like to participate in our introductory and/or advanced programs this fall, please contact us and we will provide you with all the necessary information.