Application FAQs

Should I apply for a Credential designation if I am eligible for it now but don’t believe I will be able to meet the requirements for maintaining it?

Answer: If you do not meet the criteria for maintenance, you will have to reapply for another designation. It might be easier to apply for the designation you believe you will be able to maintain.

What kind of documentation do I have to provide?

Answer: You must attach documentation showing you have completed a 40-hour basic mediation training which meets the TMCA guidelines regardless of the level of your application. If the certificate of completion is lost, or if a certificate was never issued, the applicant must provide an affidavit, executed by the instructor or other attendee, that the applicant successfully completed a 40-hour course that meets the requirements of Chapter 154.052(a) and the standards of the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association. The affidavit must also specify the approximate date the course was taken, the organization that offered the course, the name of the instructor(s), and a satisfactory explanation regarding why the certificate cannot be produced. If the instructor or other attendee is not available to provide such an affidavit, the applicant may provide an affidavit and other reasonable evidence of completion that includes all of the foregoing elements. It must also include a satisfactory explanation regarding why the instructor or other attendee cannot provide the affidavit. Exception: If you were previously credentialed beginning January 1, 2008, or later, a copy of this training certificate or affidavit is not required. Additionally, when you sign the application you are certifying that you meet or exceed the requirements for a specific designation.

What if I apply during the year? Is the fee the same?

Answer: Yes.

Can mock mediations or mediation role plays count as mediation experience?

No: Mock mediations and mediation role plays do not meet TMCA’s definition of “conducted mediation.” Thus, neither mock mediations nor mediation role plays count as mediation experience in applying for any Credential designation.

Does the Family Law Mediation training required in the statute count as “advanced” course work?

Answer: Yes. 

May I use the TMCA logo along with my Credential in advertising my services?

Answer:  No. For information about acceptable use of a TMCA designation (not logo) and Credential Designation Icons in promotional and advertising material, click here.

If I took my basic mediation course in another state prior to applying for a TMCA Credential, will the mediations I conducted after such training count toward a TMCA Credential?

Answer: Yes, if you meet certain criteria. If an applicant seeking a Credential from TMCA has taken basic mediation training in another state, both of the following criteria must be met in order for mediations conducted prior to applying for a TMCA Credential to count toward any TMCA Credential designation:

  1. The applicant’s out-of-state mediation training must have included a minimum of 40 classroom hours of mediation training pursuant to Chapter 154.052 (a) Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code and the standards of the Texas Mediator Credentialing Association, with the exception of the Texas-specific component that is part of all Texas-based basic mediation trainings that meet TMCA’s standards, and
  2. The applicant must have completed the two-hour Texas-Specific Mediator Short Course. To inquire about providers of this short course, please click here.

Can I become Credentialed if I reside outside the state of Texas?

Answer: Yes, if you meet certain criteria. Applicants seeking a Credential from TMCA and who currently reside outside Texas must first meet all the current requirements for the designation for which she or he is applying. In addition, out-of-state residents must also meet at least one of the following criteria in order to be granted a Credential:

  1. During the past year have conducted at least two mediations in Texas and plan to continue conducting mediations in Texas but have no plans to move to Texas; or
  2. Plan to move to Texas within the next year and can show some evidence of the planned move and plan to conduct mediations in Texas; or
  3. Have an appointment made pursuant to state, federal, or local government authority or a contract to mediate one or more existing disputes in Texas and can provide substantiating documentation of such appointment or contract.

     The mediations referred to in 1 and 3 above may be mediations conducted within Texas or, if conducted online, may be conducted outside Texas provided:

  • the dispute at issue arose in Texas; or
  • the case is pending in a Texas court; or
  • the case will be filed in a Texas court if not resolved in mediation

I sent in my application and haven’t heard anything?

Answer: Your application is reviewed on a monthly basis. Therefore, Credentials may only be issued once a month. If there is any problem with your application, you will be contacted. If you don’t hear anything, please contact the Vice Chair, Credentialing, at credentialing@txmca.org.