How to Become an Advanced Member

To become an MII Advanced Member you must firstly be a Member. You will then have to complete a number of live cases/hours and fulfil further training and requirements as outlined below. You should then submit your application for Advanced Member Status and, on successful completion of your assessment, complete your registration as an Advanced Member.

Requirements for Advanced Status Assessment

1. 100 hours of face-to-face mediation which can include pre-and-post mediation.
2. Case submissions: A written submission of three cases, no more than 2/3 pages max of 1000 words per case providing an outline and context of each case.
3. Sample copies of your ‘Agreement to Mediate’ and sample copies of ‘Mediation Agreements’ – see MII Guidelines for Assessing Advanced Member Skills (Print version) 
4. A letter of confirmation that you are a member of a Sharing and Learning group and have made at least one case presentation and attended at least three Share & Learning meetings.
5. Personal statement: A short personal statement to give a brief overview of your practice and experience with a view to putting your chosen cases into context – see below
6. Reflective statement: An outline of your reflective practice and changes in your practice in light of those reflections. To include a paragraphs that demonstrate personal and emotional awareness – see MII Guidelines on Assessing Advanced Mediator Skills
7. Mediation log evidencing required hours of practice
8. Evidence of attendance at mandatory MII Code of Ethics and Practice Training within the last three years.
9. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) log for past 12 months
10. Completed Advanced Member Assessment Application Form.
11. In the case of candidates submitting Separating Couples cases, record of hours of mediation practice and supervision signed off by Supervisor. This is to comply with additional training requirements for Family (Separating Couples) cases of engaging in supervision/case consultation on first 5 cases undertaken.

To submit an application for Advanced Member assessment you should forward 3 copies of the required documents above to The Registrar, The MII, The Capel Building, Mary’s Abbey, Dublin 7. Download the Application Form Below. The MII is looking for each of its Advanced Members to demonstrate core advanced competencies and, where appropriate, to have specialist competences for particular sectors. These competencies are outlined in Advanced Member Competencies.

Prior to the Assessment Interview

When submitting for Advanced Member assessment, the personal statement and the paragraphs on personal awareness should be submitted, in writing, in advance. A brief abstract (1-2 pages per case) of the 3 cases should be submitted to provide the interviewers an outline and context of each case. This will enable the interview panel to be selected to match the discipline to the substance of the cases. However it is recognised that as mediation is skills based and as Mediators frequently practice in a number of different disciplines of mediation, it is not necessary for the assessors to be familiar with the substantive issues of the mediation. It is recognised that more and more frequently Mediators practice across disciplines and will use this diversity of practice to demonstrate their advanced range of skills – that being so it will not always be possible nor appropriate to have the interviewers knowledgeable of the underlying substantive issues.

Although the cases can be read as discrete documents, applicants are encouraged to refer at interview to skills they have acquired by virtue of other mediations that they have conducted. Applicants are encouraged to select their cases and to highlight those situations which enable them to showcase a number of diverse advanced skills – not all skills will be used in every case. The assessment is made on the skills demonstrated or referred to in the interview both related to the cases presented and also to the personal statement of practice, the reflective element of the personal statement and the responses to queries.

Format of the Interview

The Panel: The panel will comprise three experienced Mediators (Advanced Members with current Practising Certificates) who more than likely will have experience of the substance of the cases presented (as described in the outline put forward by the candidate). The interview will usually last for about 1 hour but may be extended if the interviewers require further clarification on any issues. You therefore need to ensure that you get all of the expertise across to the interviewers in that time.

The Structure: The interview will commence with the candidate talking through and expanding on their personal statement including their reflective assessment of their practice. The aim of this is to enable the interviewers to obtain a view of the type of practice of the candidate, the number of cases and amount of experience the candidate has and the sorts of issues the candidate has dealt with through practice and the changes made as a result of their experiences. This part of the process will usually take 10 minutes and after the candidate’s presentation, will be a question and answer session bringing the total part of this session to 15 Minutes. Each of the three cases is presented in turn with about 10 minutes for the candidate and 5 minutes for questions. There will be a 5 minute wrap up at the end. The Interviewers will work to the Advanced Member Assessment Form and either on the way through the interview or at the end will mark you on the competencies required and will also give a general commentary on their overview of your level of skills.

The Result: After the interview the three interviewers, having completed the assessment from, will discuss with each other their views of your competencies displayed in the interview and will pass or fail you. They will give you no indication on the day whether you have passed or failed. In the event that you pass you will be written to by the Accreditation Director who will enclose a certificate of successful completion of assessment.

The Feedback: If you are unsuccessful in your interview assessment, you will be given feed back on the reasons you were not successful and may apply again for assessment.

Appeal: In the event that you believe that the result is inappropriate you may appeal the decision under the MII Appeals procedure. For further information please download the Advanced Assessment Appeals Process document.

CPD Requirement: 31 points per year – for information see CPD requirements.

Other associated documents: