Court-approved coaching for California parents navigating contested custody, FCS mediation, parental alienation tactics, and the specific dynamics of California’s family court system.
California’s family court system operates differently than other states. It runs on Family Court Services mediation that most parents are required to attend before a contested custody hearing. It uses 730 evaluators who can shape an entire custody outcome on a single weekend of observation. It applies the Family Code’s best-interest standard in ways that vary significantly by county, by judicial officer, and by what kind of parent the bench reads you as on first impression.
If your co-parent is high-conflict, every one of those moving parts becomes a new front. In mediation, false claims do not get rebutted because the mediator is not in the business of rebuttals. The mediator’s job is to write a lengthy report, and many California parents win or lose their case at FCS on the strength of that report. The judge gives it significant weight because the mediator has spent more time with the parents than the judge will. The report is rebuttable, but rebutting it is an uphill fight.
If the case progresses to a 730 evaluation (either court-ordered or stipulated to by the parents), the evaluator’s report becomes the document everyone reads, and once it is written, you cannot really un-write it. The bench reads dysregulation as instability, even when the dysregulation is the entirely reasonable response of a parent watching their child be used as a chess piece.
This is why court and mediation preparation matters in California cases. The mediator forms an impression of each parent in a small window of time, and that impression shapes the report that shapes the case. Before mediation, I prepare clients on what to expect, what the mediator is actually evaluating, how to stay regulated through provocations from a high-conflict co-parent, and how to keep every answer centered on the child. The goal is to make sure the mediator sees the parent you actually are.
This is what I do. I have spent twenty-plus years in California courtrooms as a litigator,* and the last decade-plus coaching parents who are navigating exactly this. I work with parents in the five California counties where I am on the court-approved provider list, and with parents nationwide who are dealing with the same dynamics.
I am on the court-approved provider list for the following Superior Courts:
What this means in practical terms: if a judge in one of these counties orders co-parenting education or a high-conflict intervention as part of your custody case, my 6-Week High Conflict Co-Parenting Skills Intensive™ meets that requirement. Applications are in progress in additional counties.
Each Superior Court reviews providers before adding them to its court-approved list. That review process is one of the few signals in this space that filters serious practitioners from generic life coaches.
6-Week High Conflict Co-Parenting Skills Intensive™. A structured, court-approved class delivered live over Zoom. Built on the 4-Move Change Model™ (Regulate, Disengage, Communicate, ROOTS™). The default starting point for most California parents I work with, especially if your judge has ordered co-parenting education.
Private 1-to-1 Coaching. One-on-one sessions for parents who need tailored work on a specific situation: an upcoming FCS mediation, a contested move-away, a parental alienation pattern, or the slow build-up to a custody modification.
Court & Mediation Preparation. Focused engagement for parents facing FCS mediation, 730 evaluations, settlement conferences, or contested hearings. We work on regulation, framing, communication, and how to walk in steady enough to advocate for your kids.
Litigation Coaching. Strategic preparation alongside your attorney. Documentary work, factual statement organization, message-record curation. Your attorney handles the legal strategy and the courtroom. I help you prepare the evidence and yourself.
SAFE™ Co-Parenting Ghostwriting. A monthly service where our team reads your incoming messages from your co-parent and drafts the replies you send through OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, email, or SMS. Every outgoing message is BIFF® and SAFE™ aligned, court-ready, and protective in the next hearing.
Parenting Coordination. When the court appoints a Parenting Coordinator to help a high-conflict family implement their parenting plan, I serve in that role for California families.
This is the framework I teach across every service: Regulate, Disengage, Communicate, ROOTS™.
Regulate your nervous system before you respond to anything your co-parent sends. The body keeps score. The body shows up in the courtroom and in the FCS mediator’s office.
Disengage from the toxic dynamic without disengaging from your kids. Parallel parenting that is structured well enough to actually work in a California custody arrangement.
Communicate using BIFF® and SAFE™ so every message is calm, brief, court-ready, and child-centered. Every message becomes evidence eventually.
ROOTS™ with your kids: Regular Opportunities Of Togetherness for Stability. The strongest documented protection against parental alienation.
I’m Michelle Mitchell, J.D. I have spent more than twenty years as a litigator in California courtrooms.* Twenty years as a Martha Beck Certified Wayfinder Coach. I’m a New Ways for Families® Certified Instructor with the High Conflict Institute, a Certified High Conflict Diversion Program™ Coach trained directly by Brook Olsen, AFCC-trained Parent Coordinator, and trained in Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing®.
I am also the parent of two children. My own experience finding my way out of a high-conflict co-parenting situation shaped this practice as much as any of the credentials.
I am pro-kid. Not pro-mom. Not pro-dad.
After being summoned to appear in court by my high-conflict co-parent, I engaged Michelle's team to compile OFW, email, and text messages and prepare a factual statement for the courts. This comprehensive document clearly demonstrated the pattern of high-conflict behavior which I was able to use to support my defense.
Michelle has helped me find the power, voice, and confidence to stand up for myself and for my child while recovering from years of legal battles. She takes pages-long emails and just gives me the facts, allowing me to stay away from the drama and focus on making sound decisions.
Michelle was instrumental in helping me navigate a high-conflict divorce where the mother of my young children chose to have very little contact with the kids for almost nine months. I highly recommend you hire Michelle as your coach. I am very confident it will be one of the smartest decisions you will make.
Michelle was recommended to me by my attorney as I'm facing a high-conflict divorce. As we have two beautiful girls, I signed up for the course as I needed to ensure I do my part to minimize unnecessary conflict. The course and your suggestions have been incredibly helpful, especially since I've never navigated a situation like this before.
Tell us what's happening. We'll point you to the right service (coaching, ghostwriting, court prep, parent coordination, or a course), even if that means we're not the right fit.
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