40+
Years advancing mediation across Western Pennsylvania
1:1
Mentorship
Members Only
An exclusive benefit of your MCWP membership
You Have Built Something Worth Passing On
You have watched newer mediators struggle with things you could answer in ten minutes. You have seen promising practitioners lose confidence or leave the field entirely because they had nobody to turn to.
And you believe that a rising tide lifts all boats.
Because you care about craft excellence. About the standards of mediation practice in this region. About service to others, not as a principle but as something you have lived out across your career.
You want the legacy of that work to mean something beyond your own practice. You want the community you have invested in to be stronger because you were part of it.
Which means you want to contribute. To find a form of professional engagement that energizes you rather than drains you. Maybe to stay connected to the work in a meaningful way.
There has been no formal channel. No structured container for your knowledge that is honest about the time it asks of you and clear about what it gives back.
The deep exchanges about craft, ethics, and approach. The conversations that stretch your thinking and remind you why you chose this work. You suspect that teaching someone else might be exactly the way to rediscover that feeling of being intellectually alive in this profession.
The MCWP Mentorship Initiative exists to give that feeling a home.
Mentoring has two benefits. Personally, I very much enjoy helping newer mediators hone their skills and advance their careers. But most importantly, it is crucial to our profession to have mediators who are competent and who appreciate the value of being part of the mediation community.
Bernie Behrend
Experienced Mediator and MCWP Member
You have watched newer mediators struggle with things you could answer in ten minutes. And you believe that a rising tide lifts all boats.
Which means you want to contribute. But there has been no formal channel for your knowledge that is honest about the time it asks of you.
You suspect that teaching someone else might be exactly the way to rediscover that feeling of being intellectually alive in this profession.
The MCWP Mentorship Initiative exists to give that feeling a home.
Western Pennsylvania's Mediation Mentorship Program
Two cycles annually.
Your mentee drives the relationship. Your only job is to show up, share what you know, and answer what they ask. Low commitment. Lasting impact.
1:1 Mentoring
Matched to a Mentee in Your Practice Area
Your mentee brings the questions. Together, you set the format and frequency to suit you both. Zoom or coffee, mornings or evenings, weekly, monthly or quarterly. You show up and share what you know.
Recommended minimum: 2 meetings over six months
Recommended minimum: 2 meetings over six months
Monthly Group Sessions
The Summits
Once a month, the full cohort gathers for an open, collaborative peer session. The agenda is guided by what members bring to each session. Your experience and perspective are part of what makes these sessions valuable.
Recommended minimum: 3 sessions over six months
Recommended minimum: 2 meetings over six months
Topics That Could Be Covered
Every 1:1 session is led entirely by your mentee. These are examples of the kinds of topics and questions they may bring. Each relationship will look different.
Case dissections · Reviewing a draft agreement · Ethics scenarios · Business development · Client acquisition · Pricing guidance · Handling difficult sessions · Practice structure · Technology in mediation
You Only Need to Be One Step Ahead to Make a Difference
You do not need to have all the answers. You do not need to prepare a curriculum or follow a script. Your mentee will come with questions shaped by where they are in their practice. Your job is simply to answer from where you are in yours.
The kinds of conversations you might have include reviewing a draft agreement they are unsure about, talking through an ethical scenario with no clear right answer, helping them think through how to price their services or structure their client work, or simply being the experienced voice they call when something unexpected happens in a session.
You have navigated all of this. That navigation is exactly what someone else needs.
❝ They drive our conversations with questions and all I have to do is answer them. It’s great.❞ John Mazurowski | MCWP Mentorship Committee Co-Chair
The Benefits of Becoming a Mentor
What you give is significant. What you gain is too.
❝ We learn from each other. The mentee learns best practices. The mentor hears the mentee's observation and gains fresh insights they might not otherwise have had.❞
Mary Kate Coleman | Experienced Mediator
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If You Have Experience Worth Sharing, You Belong Here
There are no minimum years of experience required and no specific practice area prerequisite. This initiative is open to any MCWP member with an established mediation practice and a genuine desire to support the next generation of practitioners.
If you have navigated the challenges of building and running a mediation practice, you have something valuable to offer. You do not need to have all the answers. You do not need a particular style or approach. The two things that matter most are experience and the willingness to share it.
Matched With Care
Every pairing is made personally by Minna Allison and John Mazurowski, MCWP Mentorship Committee co-chairs. There is no algorithm here. Just two thoughtful mediators who take the time to get it right.
NO. 1
Apply at the start of a cycle
Applications open at the beginning of each six-month cycle. The process is straightforward and takes only a few minutes.
NO. 2
Get matched within two weeks
Minna and John review every application personally, with practice area alignment as the first priority.
You choose the number of mentees you are comfortable with. You may be matched with more than one if applications align with your practice area.
NO. 3
Begin your six months
Your mentee takes it at whatever pace works for you both. They bring the agenda. You bring the answers.
You will also have access to the monthly Summits, where the full cohort gathers to contribute, connect, and be stretched.
I am where I am today because I had the benefit of great mentors from the Mediation Council of Western Pennsylvania to support me and guide me through both the process of becoming a mediator, exploring new practice areas, and they gave me the confidence to make it my full-time career.
Alicia R. Nocera, Esq.
Experienced Mediator and MCWP President
