Power Imbalances and Domestic Violence

Course 3 Power Imbalances & Domestic Violence

This course is certified for accreditation for Mediation and Collaborative processes and can be purchased as 3 days for mediation accreditation, 2 days for collaborative certification as an advanced practitioner, two days for the training required for Ontario Arbitrators (must take Day 2) or 1 day as a refresher as required by all three of these professions. Please ensure you complete our Registration Form and indicate which day(s) you are taking. Collaborative Professionals must also then take a separate one day training where the protocols specific to the Collaborative Process are discussed.

This is a critical course for mediators and collaborative professionals. Participants will learn the dynamics and characteristics of domestic, or family, violence and learn how to conduct interviews in the most conducive manner to assess and discover whether abuse it taking place. They will learn the risk factors for violence as developed by the Ontario Death Review Committee, how to support potential victims and perpetrators, how to design appropriate process for mediation and when a case would not be appropriate for mediation. The course is designed to equip mediators with the specialized knowledge and skills needed to address cases involving family violence. This comprehensive program emphasizes safety planning and trauma-informed practices. Role plays are an essential component of this course as well.

Training will focus on taking a deep dive into the topic of domestic violence to experience it to the degree that we can by examining what we know about victims, survivors and perpetrators, understanding the types of violence, learning the well known risk factors and using the screening tools for abuse and power imbalances such as the MASIC, DOVE and RIA. We will also learn how to determine when mediation, collaborative or arbitration is or not appropriate; how to develop rapport so that your interviewing techniques promote the best opportunity to receive important information and how to design a safe process and safeguards for your ADR processes.

This course covers all necessary topics for Mediators, Collaborative Professionals, Arbitrators and Parenting Coordinators. The regulation under the Ontario Arbitration Act, 1991, requires a family arbitrator to have a 14 day training for the Screening for Domestic Violence and Power Imbalances as well as a minimum of five hours refreshing every two years.

This course has been Certified by the Law Society of Ontario as containing 5 professionalism hours and 1 hour and 15 minutes of EDI hours.

Course materials are provided by a Dropbox link prior to the course.

Screening for power imbalances and domestic violence is an important first step in all family law dispute resolution processes. Screening assists in determining whether the proposed process is appropriate, what the adaptations could or should be made to ensure a safe and comfortable environment, and whether mediation or other ADR process should proceed or continue.

Course Length: 21, 14 or 7 hours

Course Dates:

Online on October 5, 6 and 7, 2026

Purchase All or Part of This Course Purchase on Monthly Payment Plan

Online on March 1, 2 and 3, 2027

Purchase All or Part of This Course Purchase on Monthly Payment Plan

This course can also be taken in individual modules as set out in the Working Professionals Evening Course format. Please see our syllabus here for the dates and times of the modules.

Purchase All or Part of This Course