Divorce coaching popular as statistics show more couples are breaking up

A former Melbourne family lawyer has established herself as the Sunshine Coast’s newest ‘divorce coach’ and revealed the key mistakes couples make.

A family lawyer who wants to help people have more “amicable” splits is now running a flourishing divorce coaching business since moving to the Sunshine Coast.

Prudence Henschke, a family lawyer for nearly 20 years, sold her Melbourne law business upon moving north in 2021 and now focuses solely on her divorce coaching.

She said she wanted to help people in a more “holistic way” so they had a “better and not bitter” break-up, especially when there were children involved.

“I feel if I can support them that has an impact on the whole family and children are the ones who can get caught in the middle of these conflicts,” Ms Henschke said.

She said divorce coaching originated in the United States and had spread worldwide.

Prue Henschke is a family lawyer turned divorce coach and her business is flourishing since moving to the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Ms Henschke said the field had attracted more practitioners in the past five years and there were more Australian divorce coaches now than in 2018 when she finished her certification.

“It’s about having someone support and guide you through the process,” Ms Henschke said.

She stressed she did not give legal advice but could help people have more effective interactions with their lawyers.

“I’m confident it saves people in legal fees because if you’re more efficient with your lawyer you will save money because lawyers charge by the hour,” the divorce coach said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly 50,000 divorces were granted in 2020, a 1.9 per cent increase from 2019.

The median age for women divorcing was 42 years old while for men it was 45 and, on average, those splitting up were together for about eight years before they separated.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, nearly 50,000 divorces were granted in 2020, a 1.9 per cent increase from 2019.

Ms Henschke said although amicable splits were not always possible, she brought an element of objectivity to the divorce proceedings that was proving increasingly popular.

A couple of mistakes she had seen splitting couples make were mostly to do with a lack of planning.

“Good planning goes a long way,” Ms Henschke said.

“How do you have that initial conversation, or do you need support from a psychologist?”

She also said good information at the start of the process could frame the whole split.

“The classic is ‘take all the money out of the back account’,” Ms Henschke said.

“And that doesn’t necessarily get things started well.”

Originally published as Divorce coaching popular as statistics show more couples are breaking up