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Mediation Career Guide: A Strategic Approach to Building a Successful Practice
enlarge	Author: Forrest S. Mosten Publisher: Jossey-Bass Category: Book List Price: ~~$45.00~~ Buy Used: $19.87 You Save: $25.13 (56%) New (17) Used (12) from $19.87 Media: Paperback Edition: 1 Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 320 Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8 Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 8.1 x 1 ISBN: 0787957038 Dewey Decimal Number: 303.6902373 EAN: 9780787957032 ASIN: 0787957038 Publication Date: September 18, 2001 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping: Expedited shipping available Condition: Shelfwear, text clean, gently read. FREE! USPS Tracking included. (Pbk)

Editorial Reviews: Product Description In this definitive guide, Forrest Mosten--an internationally recognized mediation expert--helps would-be mediators answer the critical question "Do I have the values, skills, personality, and commitment necessary to mediate?"br A comprehensive resource, the book also explores a wealth of timely topics including the need to establish standards of the profession, how to maintain confidentiality, the pros and cons of co-mediation, and the place of mediation in the process of court and law reform. Straightforward and reader-friendly, the Mediation Career Guide is filled with practice tips, self-surveys, diagrams, reading resources, a list of training programs and volunteer opportunities, budget forms, and model standards of conduct. This hands-on resource is designed to make the challenging journey of becoming a peacemaker a one-step-at-a-time manageable process.

Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews... A Solid Basis for Starting Your Practice March 21, 2005 4 out of 4 found this review helpful It is one thing to learn how to mediate, it is another to learn how to start your business as a mediator. This book focuses on the second task. I found that this book contains good, practical advice for analyzing your own abilities as a mediator and setting up your practice. It even talks about how to establish the physical environment of your office. Combine this with Allan H. Goodman's new, second edition of Basic Skills for the New Mediator, and you should be ready to hang out your shingle. You Cannot Proceed Without this book! March 9, 2005 3 out of 3 found this review helpful I am just beginning my mediation practice. This book stays with me all day. It gives practical advice, plus deals with the emotional issues attached with such a leap of faith that is required for entering this field. I highy recommend this to everyone! A must have! August 9, 2003 4 out of 4 found this review helpful This book is one of the most helpful and insightful books that I have read. If you are thinking of, or already are, a mediator, this book is full of great information, ideas, and helpful hints. brThis book is an easy read, you could read it in one evening and then be on your way to implement the things that you have learned. The Definitive Book on Mediation February 17, 2002 40 out of 40 found this review helpful Forrest Mosten has written what must be the definitive book for those who are considering or might consider a career in mediation.pI have known the author since 1970, when he was a law student working part time for me in the foreign student office at UCLA. Even then he was thinking about how he might incorporate his strong social conscience into the practice of law. Ten years later he found his answer when he committed himself to becoming a professional mediator. For Mosten, mediation is more than an efficient means of resolving disputes, it is a way to work as a peacemaker at the person-to-person level. It provides its practitioners who are attorneys with an alternative to the adversarial nature of the legal system, which weighs heavily on many lawyers. Of course it provides the same benefit for clients. He makes his point about mediation as a peace effort dramatically in chapter one, where he states "...don't jump into a growing but still uncertain field like mediation unless you eat, breath and dream about creating peace and resolving conflict and are willing to risk everything to make it happen".pIn addition to maintaining a highly successful mediation practice in Los Angeles, Mosten trains future mediators and he has established a nation-wide network of mediation centers. He also is the author of three previous books on mediation.pThe author's purpose in writing the book is stated in the first paragraph of the preface, where he says "It was an uphill climb to build my mediation practice. This book is my effort to help you avoid many of the costly mistakes I made along the way".pThe book is organized into three parts, each with several chapters, followed by nine appendices. In the first part, "Is Mediation right for You?", he covers the question of what it takes to be a mediator, such as being a good listener, patient, tolerant and neutral, flexible, and empathic, among other traits. In the chapter on "Education and Training", he discusses the question of non-lawyers as mediators. Mosten admits that lawyers have certain advantages, but he lists other fields which often provide a good background, such as therapists, business persons, teachers and clergy. Whether they come from the law or other fields, he states, extensive training in mediation will be required. Here Mosten goes into some depth on this subject which is dear to his heart because he wants "...mediation to be the first stop on the conflict resolution highway", which means having "...enough trained and experienced mediators available to meet this need".p Part Two, "Building Your Career as a Mediator" deals with the creation of a mediation signature, which includes advice on writing vision and mission statements to distinguish your particular practice. He also advocates having a board of directors to help with these tasks and to provide a sounding board along the way which he had earlier described as an informal group of persons whose judgment you trust. (He might more accurately have called them a "board of advisors). Another chapter, "Creating a Mediation-Friendly Environment", gets down to reading materials and arrangement of the reception room. Most important, he introduces the idea of the client library, described as a consumer-friendly collection of books, video tapes and other resources which will help clients learn what they need to help solve their own problems. This concept is related to Mosten's preference for informed client consent, and he reports that his library is well used by his clients.pPart Three is "The Nuts and Bolts of Private Practice", which covers topics such as finding a place to practice, naming your practice, forming strategic partnerships and networks. With respect to networks, he uses his own Mosten Mediation Centers as an illustrative model, in which he has established local mediators around the country as subcontractors. In the chapter entitled "Strategic Planning and Investing in Yourself", he gets very specific about the time and money required to establish a mediation practice, including a breakdown of out -of-pocket costs which add up to $57,000 over a five-year period.pEven though he has stated his desire to see a great increase in the number of practicing mediators, Mosten in no way sugarcoats the obstacles and challenges facing anyone who plans to enter the field. His candor, at times, would almost seem to discourage, but at least anyone who has read the book would enter the field fully warned. More important they will have read a well integrated combination of philosophy and nuts and bolts, each supporting the other. pThis is a critical book for those contemplating a career in mediation, it is a useful book for anyone contemplating using the services of a mediator, and it is an interesting book for those who are attracted by the concept of mediation as a force for more peaceful interpersonal relations. A MUST HAVE book for all Mediators! December 3, 2001 19 out of 20 found this review helpful Dear fellow mediators or anyone looking into the mediation profession:pMosten's book, Mediation Career Guide, is just the book I was looking for to strategically guide me through deciding whether to go into mediation as a profession. The book is well organized and can be read cover to cover or as a reference guide. Some of the key parts of the book are 1) Deciding if Mediation is Right for You and 2) Building Your Career as a Mediator. pThe chapter on deciding whether to get your law degree or not for mediation was an especially important chapter for me. I completed one year of law school and then decided to re-evaluate my J.D. path. I enrolled in SMU's Dispute Resolution program to help with my decision. Mosten's book is the only mediation book that directly dealt with the J.D. dilemma. The chapter did not tell me what to do or what Mosten thinks is best. Instead, the chapter asked certain questions about my background to see whether a J.D. is a good choice or not.pMosten's book is a MUST HAVE if you are deciding whether the mediation profession is right for you and how to build a mediation practice. pThank you Forrest (Woody) Mosten for this book and all of your contributions to the peace-making profession!pRoseanne Pierre

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