We are pleased to announce the 2026 Family Mediation Institute (FMI) Conference, taking place March 3–6, 2026, with a new and innovative format designed to meet mediators where they are.

This year, FMI is doing something different. Instead of a traditional full day conference model, we will be hosting four days of virtual Lunch & Learn workshops, each running from 12:00–1:30 PM (PT). Each session will include one hour of expert presentation followed by 30 minutes of live Q&A, allowing for deeper discussion, practical application, and meaningful engagement with presenters and colleagues.

As part of SCMA’s Statewide Expansion Initiative, we are making the 2026 Family Mediation Institute completely free to attend. This strategic decision reflects our commitment to expanding access to high-quality mediation education across the entire state of California and introducing mediators, attorneys, and allied professionals to the depth and caliber of programming SCMA provides year-round to its members. FMI serves as a showcase of the thoughtful, practice-focused, and forward-thinking professional development that defines SCMA.

The theme of the 2026 conference is:

Elevating Practice Through Expertise: Serving Families with Skill, Strategy & Innovation

This year’s programming is intentionally designed to help family mediators:

• Expand and refine their professional skill sets

• Improve outcomes for the families they serve

• Learn strategic, ethical ways to strengthen and diversify revenue streams

• Build more resilient, sustainable, and fulfilling mediation practices

The Lunch & Learn series will feature four in-depth workshops focused on practice development, complex family systems, emerging areas of mediation work, and advanced case dynamics. Topics include:

• Building a referral-driven, financially sustainable mediation practice

• Preventing post-divorce trust and estate disputes through informed mediation strategies

• A collaborative, forward-thinking approach to premarital agreements

• Connection-centered skills that move beyond solutions to better engagement, stronger trust, and more effective outcomes

By hosting this conference via Zoom and offering it at no cost, we are removing common barriers to participation such as travel, time away from practice, and registration fees. Our goal is to make high-quality education accessible statewide while demonstrating the level of excellence, relevance, and community engagement that SCMA consistently delivers to its members.

We hope you will join us for this four-day learning experience and take advantage of the opportunity to gain new tools, explore innovative approaches, and experience firsthand the value of being connected to a vibrant, growing statewide mediation community.