ABSTRACT
Preparing practitioners to work with people in conflict is an evolving discipline. For many years, education was available in 25- or 32- or 40-hour trainings and supplemental 8- or 16-hour intermediate or advanced trainings. The training of mediators in Austria ranges from 220 to 360 hours of formal instruction and practice, much of which focuses on the psychological dimensions of conflict and communication. This length of time is better than the average 30 to 40 hours of basic training for mediators in the United States, but remains much less than a graduate program. However extensive the education and training of conflict resolution professionals may become, learning will always be ongoing beyond the limits of a particular academic program or applied training. Conflict understanding is a life-long venture as practitioners continue to mature and reflect upon the challenges of human social relationship. Devote more time to an understanding of culture as a neural construct.
