Balakhane Mediation

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Balakhane Mediation Leyla Balakhane is an experienced Los Angeles divorce mediator, specializing in family law and parenting issues.

Leyla Balakhane currently offers mediation services throughout California. Her practice focuses exclusively on family matters, divorce and parenting issues. She empowers her clients to explore options that are tailored toward the individual needs of their family. Rather than having a resolution imposed by a court, her clients can shape their family’s future, explore the best possible outcomes, negotiate appropriate compromises and directly participate in the decision making process. She also specializes in helping clients resolve issues concerning:

Parenting Plans and Revisions
Child Support
Spousal Support
Property Division: Family Homes, Businesses, Retirement Plans
Post Divorce Issues
Other Family and Relationship Issues

What might we hear if we listened again?When someone returns to the same concern, there may be something they still want...
10/16/2026

What might we hear if we listened again?

When someone returns to the same concern, there may be something they still want us to understand.

We can ask:
“What matters most to you about this?”

And give them time to answer.

In mediation, listening includes noticing what we may have missed.

This is part of what we practice in Mediation Mastery’s 40-Hour Mediation Training.

January 5 through February 4, 2027
Live on Zoom. Join from anywhere.

fortyhourmediationtraining.com

When someone says, “I’m not agreeing to that,” what do we ask next?It can be tempting to explain why the proposal makes ...
10/15/2026

When someone says, “I’m not agreeing to that,” what do we ask next?

It can be tempting to explain why the proposal makes sense. But first, we can pause and ask:

“What concerns you most about this?”

The answer may reveal something we haven’t understood yet: a worry about money, a need for stability, or a fear of being left out of an important decision.

We don’t have to assume what is underneath someone’s “no.” We can invite them to tell us.

This is one of the skills we practice in our Mediation Mastery 40-Hour Training: asking questions that help people feel heard and give us a clearer understanding of what needs to be addressed.

Sometimes, understanding the concern is what makes the next conversation possible.

What changes when we learn to listen beyond the disagreement?We begin to hear what matters to each person. We ask differ...
10/14/2026

What changes when we learn to listen beyond the disagreement?

We begin to hear what matters to each person. We ask different questions. And sometimes, possibilities emerge that no one could see before.

That is the kind of learning we hope to create through Mediation Mastery.

Our 40-Hour Mediation Training runs January 5 through February 4, 2027, live on Zoom. Together, Leyla Balakhane and Jennifer Johnston Terando will lead five weeks of practical learning, conversation, and reflection alongside nine distinguished guest faculty members:

• Marc D. Alexander, Esq.
• Lori Dobrin, Esq.
• Hon. Kimberley Baker Guillemet
• David A. Hoffman
• Anthony S. Khoury, Esq., LL.M.
• Chip Rose
• Jack Schaedel, Esq.
• Dr. Mona Shenassa Toubian
• Adam Wannon

Their experience brings different perspectives on conflict, the people in the room, and the work of being a mediator.

We will explore civil and divorce mediation through hands-on role plays involving employment, landlord-tenant, and divorce disputes. There will be space to practice, ask questions, and learn from one another.

We will also address a practical question: How do you turn your training into a practice? Marketing and business experts will share ways to attract clients, communicate your value, and build a livelihood as a mediator.

Whether you are just beginning or bringing years of experience, there is always something new to hear, notice, and understand.

• 40 hours: 37 live and 3 independent study
• Live on Zoom, so you can join from anywhere
• Meets California DRPA training requirements
• Up to 12 MCLE credit hours
• Certificate of Completion
• Early registration: $995 through October 31
• Regular tuition: $1,195 beginning November 1

Presented in affiliation with the Statewide California Mediation Association (SCMA), in collaboration with Alternative Resolution Centers (ARC). Training verified by the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM).

Learn more and register:
www.FortyHourMediationTraining.com⁠

Before we help clients reach an agreement, we help them make sense of what they’re facing.What matters to them? What do ...
10/06/2026

Before we help clients reach an agreement, we help them make sense of what they’re facing.

What matters to them? What do they need to understand? What possibilities haven’t they considered yet?

Your approach to the mediation process creates room for those conversations. Sometimes, slowing down to see the full picture is what helps people move forward.

In our upcoming 40-hour Mediation Mastery training, we’ll explore how to bring structure, curiosity, and care to that process while developing an approach that feels like your own.

January 5 through February 4, 2027
Live on Zoom. Join from anywhere.

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g37UyVk2

Some conversations matter because of who is in the room.On November 18, Academy of Professional Family Mediators is bri...
09/30/2026

Some conversations matter because of who is in the room.

On November 18, Academy of Professional Family Mediators is bringing together presidents and leaders of mediation organizations for an invitation-only international roundtable built around one simple idea:

There is much we can do together.

I’m especially proud to be part of this with my wonderful Academy of Professional Family Mediators colleagues and friends, Steve Menack and Tracey-Leigh Wessels, and so happy that Bouvier Eulen and Adam Wannon will be joining us as guest speakers.

Bouvier will bring her perspective on stronger organizations, shared solutions, and what we can learn from one another. Adam will bring a conversation about helping mediators spend less time on administration and more time building meaningful, sustainable practices.

What inspires me most is not just the topics. It is the opportunity to bring leaders together who care deeply about the future of mediation and give them space to exchange ideas, challenges, and possibilities.

Sometimes progress begins simply by getting the right people in the same room.

I’m grateful to be part of creating that room.

“We can agree to that.”Before moving on, it helps to ask:“How would this work in the real world?”That conversation helps...
09/29/2026

“We can agree to that.”

Before moving on, it helps to ask:
“How would this work in the real world?”

That conversation helps people think about what the agreement will mean in their everyday lives.

What question would you ask?

Helping people move through conflict takes more than knowing what to say. It takes practice, patience, and the ability t...
09/29/2026

Helping people move through conflict takes more than knowing what to say. It takes practice, patience, and the ability to see possibilities when a conversation feels stuck.

Jennifer Johnston Terando, R.N., Esq. and I invite you to join our Mediation Mastery 40 Hour Mediation Training, January 5 through February 4, 2027, live on Zoom.

Together, we’ll explore civil and divorce mediation, practical tools for challenging conversations, and ways to build your mediation practice.

Early registration is $995 through October 31, 2026. Tuition increases to $1,195 beginning November 1.

The training includes up to 12 hours of MCLE credit, meets DRPA training requirements, and provides a Certificate of Completion.

Learn more and register:
https://lnkd.in/g7Ag2kJS

“That’s my final offer.”When we hear those words in mediation, it can feel like there is nowhere left to go.But do we kn...
09/25/2026

“That’s my final offer.”

When we hear those words in mediation, it can feel like there is nowhere left to go.

But do we know what they mean to the person saying them?

They may have reached their limit. They may feel unheard. They may be tired of trying.

Before deciding what to say next, can we pause long enough to understand?

Sometimes the hardest part of being a mediator is staying curious when we think we already know.

How would you respond? What would you want to understand before taking the next step?

These are the moments we’ll explore together in our Mediation Mastery 40 Hour Mediation Training.

January 5 through February 4, 2027
Live on Zoom

https://lnkd.in/g7Ag2kJS

I met Jennifer Johnston Terando, R.N., Esq. through Statewide California Mediation Association when she was president an...
09/24/2026

I met Jennifer Johnston Terando, R.N., Esq. through Statewide California Mediation Association when she was president and I was on the board. We soon realized we shared the same vision: helping people feel heard and find a way forward through conflict.

What began as working together grew into a friendship. Today, we’re bringing that shared vision to life through our 40 hour Mediation Mastery training.

When we first met, I didn’t know what we would build together. Now, I’m grateful for the work we share and the friendship behind it.

Jennifer, I’m so glad our paths crossed.
Leyla 🙏

Every conflict has its own story. A workplace disagreement, a landlord tenant dispute, or a divorce each calls for care,...
09/24/2026

Every conflict has its own story. A workplace disagreement, a landlord tenant dispute, or a divorce each calls for care, understanding, and practical skills.

We created Mediation Mastery’s 40 hour mediation training to help participants connect what they learn with the conversations they will guide.

Our training includes civil mediation, with employment and landlord tenant disputes, a divorce mediation intensive, advanced mediation tools, and guidance on marketing and building a practice.

January 5 to February 4, 2027
Live on Zoom. Join from anywhere.

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gaKiT3Yx

Address

1875 Century Park E
Los Angeles, CA
90067

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 8pm
Sunday 8am - 8pm

Telephone

+14242354173

Website

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