Acting as a Mediator: A Unique Opportunity

Serving as a third party in conflict is an opportunity to lend your communication skills to others during challenging moments. Being a mediator is both meaningful and demanding, as it involves fostering peace, compassion, and care between people.

Taking on the role of a mediator challenges your communication skills, enhances your ability to understand others' perspectives, deepens your awareness of your inner dialogue, and helps you grow in empathy and self-expression.

In this program, you’ll have the chance to learn, experience, and practice mediation skills. We will explore both informal and formal mediation, reconciliation, and addressing specific dilemmas. Together, we will form a supportive group that encourages learning from the inside out. Welcome to a year-long practical training program grounded in the principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).

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Program Structure
The program is designed to build your mediation skills progressively:

24 Trainer-Led Sessions:
We start by introducing and demonstrating specific, concrete skills. These sessions lay the foundation for your practice and integration. As the program advances, these skills will be applied with increased mediator awareness and flexibility. All trainer-Led Sessions will be offered twice and as recordings if you for any reason can't join a session.

24 Integration Group sessions:
In small groups of 3-5 participants, you will regularly practice skills in realistic scenarios. These cases will increase in complexity and duration, starting with brief 1-minute exercises and progressing to comprehensive situations. You’ll apply multiple skills and navigate the 5-step mediation map.

Additional Topics:
We’ll explore key areas to deepen mediator awareness, including:

• Mediator self-care
• Key differentiations
• The impact of shame on conflict
• Building trust
• Perspective-taking
• Adult developmental processes

As the program evolves, your practice will shift from concrete actions to more subtle, nuanced awareness in your role as a mediator. Dates for the sessions you find below

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Training Structure
Start: The program kicks off with trainer-led sessions to establish a solid foundation.
Practice Groups: You’ll join small integration groups for structured practice, a central element for integrating mediation skills.
Ongoing Learning: The training alternates between practice periods and presentations of advanced mediation concepts.
Final Phase (Summer 2026): During this period, your small groups will design their own practice schedules. You can film mediation sessions for feedback and receive guidance on areas for improvement.
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Recommended Reading
The training is partly based on the book by Liv Larsson A Helping Hand Mediation with Nonviolent Communication (available in Swedish, German, English, Dari, Dutch, Polish and Finnish). We recommend you to read the book as part of your preparation for the training.

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Included Resources
Workbook (PDF): A structured guide to support learning and practice. 2025/26 edition
E-Book: A Helping Hand, Mediation with NVC by Liv Larsson.
E-Book: Cracking the Communication Code by Katarina Hoffmann & Liv Larsson.
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Our Approach
This program is most effective for those who are willing to embrace the process of learning through trial, error, and feedback. Progress requires effort, persistence, and a growth mindset. Perfection is an moving target, but with commitment, most people can master these skills.

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Who Can Register?
We ask that participants have at least 10 days of prior NVC training before joining this program. Additionally, we recommend reading A Helping Hand: Mediation with Nonviolent Communication by Liv Larsson. The book is available in Swedish, German, Dari, Korean, Chinese, English, Dutch, Polish, and Finnish.

If you believe you can benefit from this training without the recommended 10 days of NVC experience—for instance, if you work as a mediator or have relevant experience—please contact us before applying. Together, we’ll determine if this program is the right fit for you.

Dates and sessions
 

Trainer-Led Dates and Practice Times

• All sessions are trainer led, Integration group practice is done in a smaller groups. Thes are trainer led in the beginning.
• All trainer-led sessions are offered twice on different times to accommodate more timezones globally. The sessions might vary based on participants' questions and discussions.
• Every session is recorded, and you’ll have access to the recordings throughout the program.
  You’re welcome to attend as many sessions as you’d like.
• Evening session Stockholm 17:00-20:00, (translates to New York 11:00-14:00, LA 08:00-11:00 (adjustment for winter/summertime)
• Morning session Stockholm 8-11 (translates to New Delhi 11:30-14:30, Bangkok 13:00-16:00, Shanghai 14:00-17:00, Tokyo 16:00-19:00, Sydney 18:00-21:00 adjustment for winter/summertime)
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Session 1: September 1/2 Introduction and focus on the topic of conflict.

Session 2:  September 8/9 Introduction to the Mediation Hand and 5-Step Map, demos and practice.

Session 3:  September 15/16The mediators toolbox

Integration 1: September 22/23 Starting to practice the Mediation Hand and navigating the 5-Step Map in integration groups. Asking questions in the forum. (leader led )

Session 4: September 29/30 Mediator intention and exercises. Empathy and self-empathy

Integration 2:  October 6/7  Continued practice. Repeating each building block. (leader led)

Session 5: October 13/14 Toolbox interventions - deepening.

Integration 3:  October 20/21  Continued practice. How to give feedback (leader led)

Session 6: October 27/28 (Winter time) Preparing for a formal mediation

Integration 4: November 3/4 Continued practice. (leader led)

Session 7: November 10/11  Formal mediation. 

Integration 5: November 17/18 Continued practice with a focus on formal mediation.

Session 8: November 24/25 Solutions (step 5 on the Map).

Integration 6: December 1/2 Practice, navigating steps 1-5 on the map.

Session 9: December 8/9 Moving through steps 1-4 and 5 on the map, into a fuller practice.

Session 10: December 15/16 Inner educator and chooser process, dealing with inner conflict

Integration 7: December 22/23 Practicing navigating the mediators inner process

Integration 8: January 5/6 Continued practice and repetition according to everyone´s needs

Integration 9: January 12/13 Continued practice and repetition according to everyone´s needs

Session 11: January 19/20 Enemy images.

Session 12: January 26/27 Key differentiations in mediation.

Session 13: February 2/3 MBR film, continuation of key differentiations.

Session 14: February 9/10 Mediation in crime (Ricardo).

Session 15: February 16/17 Shame in mediation

Integration 10: February 23/24 Continued practice focusing on key differentiations in mediation.

Integration 11: March 2/3 Practice, mediation in crime and/or shame.

Session 16: March 9/10 Developmental perspectives I.

Integration 12: March 16/17 Practice focusing on perspectives.

Session 17: March 23/24 Re-building trust through mediation

Integration 13: April 16/17 (Summer time)Continued practice and application of developmental perspectives.

Session 18: April 6/7 Developmental perspectives II.

Integration 14: April 13/14 Continued practice with a focus on recreating trust.

Integration 15: April 20/21 Continued practice with a focus on recreating trust.

Session 19: April 27/28 Shame in mediation (Part 2).

Integration 16: May 4/5 Continued practice with a focus on recreating trust.

Integration 17: May 11/12 Continued practice with a focus on recreating trust.

Integration 18: May 18/19 Continued practice with a focus on recreating trust.

Session 20: May 25/26 Using role plays as an alternative to mediation (Ricardo).

Session 21: June 1/2 Summary of the program and feedback questions.

Session 22: June 8/9 Protective use of force/mediation and the use of power

Integration 19: June 15/16 Continued practice. 

Integration 20: June 22/23 Recordings for feedback.

Integration 21: July 20/21 Ongoing practice and recording for feedback.

Integration 22: July 27/28 Ongoing practice and recording for feedback.

Integration 23: August 3/4 Ongoing practice and recording for feedback.

Integration 24: August 10/11 Ongoing practice and recording for feedback.

Session 23: August 17/18 Handling questions from the integration work. Working with biases.

Session 24: August 24/25 Handling questions from the integration work and addressing any loose ends.
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