Finding and selecting an appropriate mediator:

Family mediators come from different professional backgrounds. They may be lawyers, social workers, psychologists, or financial professionals, like accountants. Select someone who has the right skills for the issues in your case. For example, social workers or psychologists may be best suited to address child custody and access issues, and a lawyer may be best suited to help resolve a legal issue. Mediators who deal with both financial and child-related issues are called “comprehensive family mediators.” Choose someone who has significant experience dealing with family law cases, since the issues are different than those in other civil disputes.

All mediators that provide services in our family courts have qualifications that meet the standards set by the Ontario Association for Family Mediation for Accredited Family Mediators including:

• University degree or significant professional experience
• Minimum of 60 hours of training (including skills development and domestic violence)
• 100 hours of supervised mediation and the completion of five cases.

You should choose a mediator who has the met these requirements.

Mediators may also be members of one of the following organizations, each of which provides standards of professional conduct:

• Ontario Association for Family Mediation
• Family Mediation Canada
• ADR Institute of Ontario

Download the information sheet (PDF - 557 KB)