Mediation Skills Gap Training
Targeted, supervised role-play practice for applicants who have the mediation theory but need to complete the practical component to be awarded the AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training.
About Mediation Skills Gap Training
Most people earn the AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training (COT) by completing our full theory and skills development program. If you have already done comparable training that largely matches the theory and/or practical training requirements set by AMDRAS, you can instead apply through the AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training Alternative Pathway. We assess what you have already completed, and you make up only what is missing.
Where your application shows you have the theory but not the practical role plays, the missing piece is Mediation Skills Gap Training. It lets you complete the role plays you need to be awarded the Certificate of Training, without repeating the training hours you have already done.
Completing Gap Training leads to the AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training (Alternative Pathway). Assessment and accreditation are separate steps that follow.
Who Gap Training is for
Gap Training sits in the middle of the Standard Alternative Pathway. It is for people who have completed an adequate theory course (at least 22½ hours of class contact time) but cannot provide evidence of appropriate role plays.
If you can evidence both the theory and the role plays — at least nine 1½-hour role plays, three as the mediator, plus role-play practice in pre-mediation — you have met all the requirements and no Gap Training is needed. If you can evidence neither, the full Certificate of Training is the right pathway for you. Both are shown in the fees below.
Note: AMDRAS also sets limits on the type of organisation that provided your training and the credentials of the trainers, which are evaluated as part of your application. See the AMDRAS standards for full details of the Alternative Pathway.
What Gap Training includes
The full Gap Training is nine supervised role plays, three of them in the role of mediator. The other role plays are completed in role-player roles.
If you can evidence some appropriate role plays already, you complete fewer with us and your fee is reduced — see the fees below.
Fees
This pathway assumes you can evidence an adequate theory course (at least 22½ hours of class contact time). Your fee then depends on how much appropriate role-play experience you can also evidence:
| Appropriate role plays you can evidence | Gap Training required | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| None | Full Gap Training required — nine role plays, three as the mediator | $1,950 |
| Three role plays, including one as the mediator | Reduced Gap Training required — six role plays, two as the mediator | $1,460 |
| Six role plays, including one as the mediator | Reduced Gap Training | $975 |
| A full set of appropriate role plays (meets all requirements) | No additional role plays required — Certificate of Training awarded | $0 |
All fees are GST inclusive. A reduced fee applies only where prior role plays are evidenced to our satisfaction and accepted as comparable as part of your application. One-hour role plays, or role plays without individualised mentor feedback, are not acceptable.
If you cannot evidence an adequate theory course provided by an RTO or higher education provider, the Alternative Pathway is not available and the full Certificate of Training applies. The standard AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training fee is $3,500.
After Gap Training: assessment and accreditation
When you complete Gap Training you are awarded the AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training (Alternative Pathway). This is the training step. On its own it does not make you eligible to apply for AMDRAS accreditation.
Holding the Certificate of Training makes you eligible to enrol in the AMDRAS Certificate of Assessment (COA), where your competence is formally assessed. Following a successful assessment, you are then eligible to apply for AMDRAS accreditation as a mediator. These steps and their fees apply whatever your Gap Training fee was, including where it was $0:
| Further step (separate from Gap Training) | Fee |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Assessment (COA) — you become eligible to enrol once you hold the Certificate of Training | $700 |
| AMDRAS accreditation with Mi practitioner membership — registration as an accredited mediator, for two years | Currently $480 |
Accreditation combines the AMDRAS accreditation fee (collected by Mediation Institute and paid to the AMDRAS Board, currently $100) and Mi practitioner membership (currently $380 for two years). The amount shown is current at the time of writing and may change.
How to apply
Complete the AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training Alternative Pathway application and provide as much information as you can about your prior training. When you apply through the Alternative Pathway, your evidence is reviewed, and if it shows you have the theory but not the role plays, we confirm the Gap Training you need and your fee before you commit.
How this relates to the full Certificate of Training
The full AMDRAS Mediator Certificate of Training is $3,500 and covers both the theory and the complete set of role plays. The Alternative Pathway, including Gap Training, exists only to recognise comparable training you have already done and to fill whatever practical gap remains. It is offered by application, and Gap Training itself is by invitation only — it is not a discounted version of the Certificate of Training you can simply enrol in.
Frequently asked questions
Think the Alternative Pathway fits you?
Start by preparing your evidence, then apply online. If Gap Training is the right outcome for you, we will confirm exactly what you need and what it costs before you commit.