How can I improve my mediation technique by consulting academic-scientific resources?
Once you are already a mediator, in order to improve the practice of your profession, it is often necessary to resort to tools that enable you to have a greater worldview of your work and to know the current situation based on what is being carried out in this field.
In Spain, specifically, we have a multitude of resources to be able to turn to when we deem it appropriate. As I do not intend for this information to be excessively dense, I am going to introduce you to three of those resources that from the International School of Mediation (EIM) we use and recommend in our subjects (both in the specialist program and in the mediation master's degree).
Scientific magazines
The Mediation Magazine is a publication that is published every six months with the objective of making known, from an academic-scientific perspective, good practices carried out in our field, in order to carry out a continuous analysis of the techniques and projects for conflict resolution. , based on: experimental studies, development of theoretical models, presentation of professional experiences and practical cases...
For its part, the Peace and Conflict Magazine It is also a biannual publication whose main objective is to publicize the research carried out around the world on peace and conflict, as well as other fields such as development, sociocultural animation and human rights.
Particularly significant is the fact that this journal has an interdisciplinary aspect. Which allows you to approach peace and conflicts from multiple points of view.
The quality of these magazines is undoubted, since they are indexed in the Emerging Sources Citation Index, belonging to the Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), with a future probability of being indexed in the most important databases in the world at a scientific level (Scopus and JCR). Both have Editorial, Advisory and Scientific Committee made up of professionals with enormous experience professional in fields as diverse as: law, psychology, social pedagogy...
As a mediator, it is important that you go to the documents already published in their archives and download those articles that you find interesting for further reflection on your work as a mediator.
Manual of Resolved Mediation Cases
Although there is a huge number of mediation manuals in different areas, I want to make you aware of the work coordinated by Giménez (2009) on intercultural and community mediation. Since, as we make known in the EIM Master of Mediation and in our blog about the importance of training in intercultural mediation, this type of mediation has a unique aspect that makes it essential to know experiences and cases already resolved that serve as catapult to refocus our mediation work.
As the author indicates, this manual not only offers some basic outlines of What is this alternative conflict resolution technique and how is it developed? to those people not familiar with the topic, but also represents a reference in terms of addressing practical assumptions for social intervention professionals and especially for Intercultural Social Mediators.
Delving into the concrete actions that have been carried out in specific cases of community and intercultural mediation. Starting from the fact that the intercultural mediation It is conceived as that process that aims to contribute to facilitating and improving the resources available to a social community to efficiently manage those situations that may generate conflict or discomfort between those members of society who come from different cultural dimensions. It is one of the tools that you will find like complementary resource in some of the subjects our master.
Do not forget! To be an extraordinary professional you must go to extraordinary sources of information and based on continuous action research that leads you to optimize your knowledge for the positive resolution of the cases you work with.
Information sources:
1. https://revistademediacion.com/
2. https://revistaseug.ugr.es/index.php/revpaz
3. Giménez, C. (2009). Intercultural social mediation in Castilla-La Mancha: case manual. Toledo: Department of Social Welfare of the Community Board of Castilla-La Mancha.
