What I offer
Pre-Mediation Preparation
"A parent in crisis cannot parent well. The most important thing I can do before you sit down across from the other party is help you not be in crisis when you get there."
Sabrina Barbara
If you have recently separated and want comprehensive support from the beginning, Separation Ready is the right starting point. It is a six-session programme covering the legal system, your finances, your children's experience, and your conflict patterns, with aftercare included as standard. Pre-Mediation Preparation is different. It is for one specific situation: you have mediation coming up, and you want to arrive ready for it. One session, 90 minutes, focused entirely on what you need to walk into that room and have a productive conversation. Many clients do both, completing Separation Ready first and then using the pre-mediation session as a final focused briefing before the day. If you have already done Separation Ready, bring your preparation summary. We will build on it. Not sure which is right for you? Book a free 20-minute call and we will figure it out together.
The Research
15% of families who attended mediation reached a full agreement, described by researchers as a system failure.
92% felt hopeless during proceedings.
Only 10% felt the system understood their family's needs.
$200,000 or more: combined estimated legal cost per family when disputes proceed to litigation.
44% of court orders are not consistently followed after proceedings conclude.
Source: Parenting After Separation, "How Bad Can It Be?" Report, 2026. Australian data. The New Zealand family law system is structurally comparable.
These are not figures about extreme cases. They are figures about ordinary families who entered a system they did not understand, in a state of emotional overwhelm, without the tools to navigate it. The research is clear about what changes outcomes: preparation.
Why Private Preparation Is Different
Government-funded FDR provides one intake session before mediation. There is no preparation, no education, no follow-up. Private pre-mediation preparation fills that gap: unhurried individual sessions covering what the process is actually for, how to manage emotional responses under pressure, how to keep your children's needs at the centre, and how to arrive with clarity rather than overwhelm. Both parties can book independently. Each is always seen separately.
This Is for You If
You have a mediation session booked and you want to arrive prepared, not overwhelmed.
You did not complete a full preparation programme and want the most useful 90 minutes you can have before the session.
You completed Separation Ready and want a final focused briefing before mediation day.
You are representing yourself without a lawyer and want to understand what to expect in the room.
You have been to mediation before and it did not go well. You want to understand why and do it differently this time.
What a Session Covers
Each session is 90 minutes. We take as many sessions as you need. The content is shaped around your specific situation, not a fixed checklist. We typically work across: understanding the mediation process and what it cannot do; emotional preparation and regulation under pressure; child-centred thinking; your conflict pattern with the other party; and practical readiness for the session itself.
Service
Pre-mediation preparation session (90 min)
$280 per person
Initial 20-minute Zoom call
No charge
Not sure if this is what you need? Find out about the Separation Ready programme, New Zealand's most comprehensive private separation support.