Karen Clarkin

Karen is an experienced family mediator and Voice of Child. She is a professional member of the Resolution Institute of New Zealand and an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner.

Coming from a social worker background spanning many years, Karen has been a passionate advocate for children, individuals and families. She does everything she can to ensure her clients have a voice and are empowered to participate in outcomes that affect their own lives. She does this by listening to understand, speaking to clarify, researching to inform, and encouraging to guide.

She is skilled in group processes and has facilitated many programmes, including Conflict Resolution and the Parenting Through Separation.

She has run individual programmes for children from the ages of 5 through to teens, learning from them what their worries and fears are, helping them find healthy ways to express themselves and advocating for them to the adults in their lives.

She believes that children and adults need to feel at ease and to trust if they are going to share their personal thoughts. She has a non-threatening manner and tone that enables her to relate easily with her clients, plus some “goodies” to help distract children when needed.

During her career, Karen has worked in the child protection, community social work, and child disability sectors. She does not assume nor judge and is respectful of everyone she works with, whatever their age, gender or culture.

Her favourite quote is “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”