Calm, balanced assessment, built on years of experience inside the family court system.
Meet Dr Trea Sanson-Fisher
Trea has spent more than 28 years as a psychologist, with over 20 of those in the family court system. She holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology and a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology, a combination few practitioners in Australia hold, and fewer still have applied to family law for as long as she has.
That matters because of what the work actually asks. Understanding a family in dispute means understanding mental health, child development, drug and alcohol, trauma, family violence and risk, all at once, and then explaining it clearly enough that a parent, a solicitor and a Judge can each understand and work with it. That's the job. It's what Trea has done, case after case, for over 20 years.
The path to family law
Trea began her career at Hunter New England Health as a clinical psychologist, working with people facing mental health challenges. From there she moved into child protection, the work she describes as the first great love of her career, and then into community health, providing therapy to adults, young people and children across areas including family violence, drug and alcohol issues, depression and anxiety.
In 2004, she began working part-time at the Family Court while continuing to work for Health, providing Regulation 7 Family Consultant Reports. She maintained this dual role for the next decade. In 2015, she moved to working solely for the Family Court, first as a Family Consultant and later as a Court Child Expert. She has been immersed in this world ever since: assessing families, meeting children, and helping courts make some of the hardest decisions.
Along the way, she completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Forensic Interviewing of Children from Deakin University - the same specialist training undertaken by police detectives and child protection workers. It taught her how to ask children questions in a way that is evidence-based, focused and never leading.
Accountable, always
Trea is registered with AHPRA and practises under the APS Code of Ethics. Her specialist endorsements carry ongoing professional development obligations, which she meets every year. It's a formal way of saying something simple: she is accountable for her work, and she is always working to be better at it.
Specialist knowledge, applied where it matters most
28+ years as a psychologist
Masters in Clinical Psychology and a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology
20+ years working inside the family court system as a Family Consultant and Court Child Expert
Post-Graduate Certificate in Forensic Interviewing of Children from Deakin University
Registered with AHPRA, practising under the APS Code of Ethics
Child Impact Assessment
A focused assessment used early in proceedings, to help parents and the court make interim decisions about children.
Family Reports
A comprehensive assessment used later in proceedings, ahead of final hearings, when long-term parenting arrangements need to be decided.
Child Consultation
A way to bring children's voices into mediation, so parents and solicitors don't lose sight of what their children actually need.
Specialist Supervision
Clinical and forensic supervision for psychologists who find themselves navigating the family law system.