Safety Planning For Interpersonal Violence During Mediation

A 90-minute live webinar for mediators on screening for domestic and interpersonal violence before a session, adjusting the process when coercive control shows up, and referring well. Designed to meet 1.5 hours of continuing mediator education in Florida's interpersonal violence category, which includes domestic violence.

Most of what mediators hear about domestic and interpersonal violence stops at "watch for red flags." That leaves you improvising at the worst possible moment: a party who goes quiet whenever the other one speaks, a spouse who answers every question, an attorney who mentions a protective order in passing during the joint session. This webinar covers the three things a mediator can and should do: screen before the session, adjust the process, and refer well.

What mediators learn about domestic violence screening and safeguards

• Interpersonal violence, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence: what each term means and why the difference matters to a mediator. Where the credit category comes from, how the statutes in Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma define the relationships they cover, and why violence between neighbors, business partners, or adult family members belongs in this conversation too.
• Screening at intake. The questions to ask on a private pre-session call, what the recognized screening tools look for, and how to screen without putting a party at greater risk.
• Recognizing coercive control in the room, and on the screen. One party speaking for the other, forced agreement, fear that reads as deference, and the checks you run when parties join by video.
• Process safeguards you can use the same week. Caucus-only and shuttle mediation, staggered arrival and departure, support persons, and ground rules that hold.
• Where the mediator's role ends. Safety planning belongs to trained advocates. You learn how to connect a party with one without taking sides, giving advice, or losing your neutrality.
• Reporting, plainly. When a mediator is and is not a mandated reporter, and how mediation confidentiality applies when safety is in question.
• Pausing, declining, or ending a mediation. Language for terminating that protects the vulnerable party and does not blame either side.

Four handouts you keep

• Intake Screening Guide: pre-session questions and what the answers tell you
• Process Safeguards Checklist: options to consider before and during a session, in person and virtual
• Referral Card: national domestic violence hotlines with space to add your local resources
• Pause, Decline, and Termination Scripts: wording you can use as written

Who this mediator training is for

Mediators and mediator-attorneys in family, circuit civil, county, and dependency practice, and new mediators who want this settled before it comes up in a case.

Format

Live on Zoom, 90 minutes. Roughly 75 minutes of instruction built around a worked case study, followed by Q&A. Registrants receive the handouts and the recording after the session.

Frequently asked questions

Does this webinar count toward Florida mediator CME in the interpersonal violence category?

It is designed to meet 1.5 hours of continuing mediator education in Florida's interpersonal violence category, the category that covers domestic violence and the other forms of violence between parties a mediator may encounter. Florida mediators self-report CME hours at renewal and keep their certificate of completion for their records. Florida does not pre-approve CME courses.

Is "interpersonal violence" the same as "domestic violence"?

No, and the webinar spends time on the difference. Domestic violence is a legal term defined by the relationship between the parties. Interpersonal violence is the broader term Florida uses for its CME category; it includes domestic violence along with dating, sexual, and stalking violence and violence between people who are not family or household members.

Can mediators outside Florida use it?

Yes. The screening, safeguards, and referral material applies in any state, and the program covers the Texas and Oklahoma definitions alongside Florida's. Texas and Oklahoma mediators should confirm category rules with their credentialing body before reporting the hours.

Is it live or on demand?

Live on Monday, November 30, 2026, at 12:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM CT. Everyone registered receives the recording and handouts afterward, so you can still complete it if you miss the live date.

Do I receive a certificate of completion?

Yes. A certificate showing the program title, date, and 1.5 hours is emailed after the session.