About

I would be pleased to provide top quality mediation services to you and your separating spouse. During a separation, people are vulnerable, and often not thinking clearly. They ‘just want it over now’, and can’t see beyond tomorrow. They let their disappointment with each other and themselves override their best interests. Don’t let this be you!  I am working on some new ‘coaching’ products to help you reduce the conflict and prepare yourself to get your family through a separation more smoothly – it is possible…**

I will challenge you to see ‘The Big Picture’ – before you head down the wrong road for yourself and your children. My approach to dispute resolution is founded upon over 20 years of family law experience both litigating, for parents and for children, and from helping people to negotiate resolutions successfully.

What do I offer that is different?  Although I have retired after 25 years of lawyering, I still have all of the skills that I gained working with families in difficult circumstances, and apply them to mediation. I listen to my clients, and challenge them to focus on what is best for them and their children, practically, financially and emotionally. I don’t tell people what to do, but give realistic advice about what is likely to happen if they take their family’s circumstances to court, or negotiate a resolution that is ‘just good enough’ for today, but not the long run. I have invested my time and education into learning how to help all kinds of people to communicate and negotiate effectively, so their results will actually let them accomplish their future goals.

I have been fortunate to learn my resolution skills from a variety of talented and generous colleagues in Newmarket and the GTA since 1995.   Adding to my ability to provide you with ‘the big picture’, I have represented children for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer (2000 – 2022), worked for the Ministry of Community and Social Services and the Region of York,  attended advanced Collaborative Law Training, completed Mediation Accreditation requirements (over 100 hours of mediation internship at Riverdale Mediation in Toronto, plus over 100 hours of in-class training), while representing separating spouses in my referral-based private separation and divorce practice. For three years, I was a Dispute Resolution Officer in Newmarket Family Court, using my resolution skills to assist family law litigants at first conferences for Motions to Change.

Effective skills-based training from Sharon Strand-Ellison, and her great book ‘Taking the War out of our Words’ has transformed my approach to negotiation.  Bill Eddy, and his High Conflict Institute, have been very influential, and have provided excellent training and and articles for people to absorb.

I obtained my B.A. (Hons) from Queen’s University in 1990 in political studies, and after cycling around northern Europe and working in addictions, returned to Queen’s University and completed my LLB in 1995.  Most recently, I have started on a completely different approach to helping people become healthier and happier, becoming a Registered Acupuncturist!

When I am not working, I can be found getting my ‘fresh air fix’ by paddling, hiking, cycling, cross country skiing, snowshoeing or trying to observe all kinds of nature with my artist/photographer husband. I am also trained as a yoga teacher, and an acupuncturist, and am focussing my training on trauma and learning how to locate and manage stress in our bodies – something of use to stressed out clients!  I love travel, will read whatever new series of suspenseful mystery and international relations information I can locate.