High conflict communicationFor conversations that keep getting pulled off course.
Some conversations can't be won and can't be avoided. A co-parent who escalates. A sibling who rewrites history. A boss who makes every request a test. A parent whose approval still has a hold on you.
High conflict communication is a skill, not a personality trait. My work is helping you see the pattern you're inside of, and respond in a way that doesn't feed it.
What brings people here
- One person can derail your entire week with a single message.
- You keep having the same argument with different words.
- You want to hold a boundary without starting a war.
- You've been told you're the difficult one and you're no longer sure.
- You need to say something hard, once, and have it land.
- You're exhausted from managing someone else's reactions.
Disengage, Decide, Deliver
My method has three parts. Disengage: get out of the immediate reaction. Decide: ask whether this needs a response and what actually needs to be said. Deliver: say it in language the other person has the best chance of hearing.
All three pieces are free to download from my library. The walk is where we apply them to your actual situation.
Pattern detection is the whole job
After 25+ years and thousands of difficult conversations, patterns arrive fast. What repeats. What triggers what. Which move you make every time that keeps the cycle alive. That's usually the most useful thing you take home.
The format
One hour, walking, in Calgary — or the same hour walking by phone from anywhere. Optional personal follow-up letter afterward. Sessions are booked one at a time, with no package or retainer.
Every conversation happens on the walk — in person or by phone. Nothing is recorded and nothing is documented. I don't write reports for legal matters, testify, or communicate with third parties. This is a private thinking conversation — not therapy, not counselling, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
What is a high conflict communication specialist?
Someone who works specifically on communication with people and in situations that escalate — high conflict co-parenting, divorce, family estrangement and difficult workplaces. Andrea LaRochelle is a Calgary-based high conflict communication specialist and former Registered Family Mediator.
Do you only work on family conflict?
No. The same patterns show up at work, with adult siblings and parents, in friendships and in business partnerships.
How fast can I get in?
Email andrea@andrealarochelle.com with three possible day and time options, or book online at andrealarochelle.com/book. Andrea replies within 24 hours.
Ready to talk?
One hour. In person in Calgary, or walking by phone from anywhere. Optional personal follow-up letter afterward.