ADR Roster
Brian Parsons | B.A., AccFM (OAFM), CP Med
Since 2001, Brian has been a full-time accredited family Mediator with The Mediation Centre, Inc. and The Family Mediation Centre and more recently with Mediation North. He is also an accredited Child Protection Mediator and conducts mediations throughout Southwestern Ontario for Ontario Children’s Aid Societies and their clients. Brian is called upon to mediate civil matters and regularly coaches mediation training for Ontario Government Ministries and agencies as well the private sector. Brian has conducted in excess of 9500 hours of mediation.
Carey Glen | B.S.W, S.S.W
Carey is currently employed at Community Services Coordination Network, supporting and planning with families in a variety of roles (WrapAround Facilitator, Facilitator of Family Meetings, Complex Special Needs Service Coordinator, FGC coordinator). Carey has been practicing FGC since April 2008.
Carey believes FGC provides families and services providers an opportunity to communicate more openly. What she enjoys most about FGC is widening the circle and providing an opportunity for families to come together and plan for children.
Cheryl DeGroot | CYW, Certified Family Group Conference Coordinator
I was trained in FGC in 2008 and have enjoyed practicing as a facilitator in Family Group Conferences. I believe in families having a voice in their own planning and love the values and philosophy of FGC. I believe it is a right of a child to have a FGC offered so all who love and care for them can get together to come up with a plan to ensure they are safe. Families have great strengths and know their children best. I have been working with children and their families for the past 15 years as a Children's Worker at Merrymount Children's Centre, as a Child Advocate at two separate Women's Shelters and I worked as a WrapAround Facilitator for 6 years. I appreciate the opportunity to work with families in Family Group and am excited that this opportunity is available to them.
Debbie Turnbull | Behavioural Science Diploma, Family Group Conferencing Practitioner, Community Capacity Building /Diversity, Mediation, Non Profit Sector Management
Debbie has over 30 years experience supporting children, youth and their families. This includes working as a Child and Youth Worker and Program Manager at the London Detention for Youth, managing residential and community programs at Western Area Youth Services, and coordinating services and providing facilitation through Community Services Coordination Network.
Debbie believes it is very gratifying to support all families in having their voices heard and assisting them in moving forward in their lives.
Erin Woodworth | B.A., B.S.W
Erin has been employed at Community Services Coordination Network since 2009, working with families in a variety of roles (WrapAround Facilitator, Facilitator of Family Meetings, Service Coordinator and Family Group Conference Coordinator).
Erin has been practicing FGC since August 2014. She believes FGC is an excellent process because it brings families together and gives them the opportunity to plan for their children.
Guy Hagar | Family Group Conference Practitioner & ODR Practitioner
Guy is a member of the Upper Cayuga Band from Six Nations of the Grand River and has worked within Health Sciences for more than twenty-five years. Guy has received training through The Stitt Feld Handy Group, an affiliate of the University of Windsor Law School, in Alternative Dispute Resolution (Negotiation and Mediation) as well as FGC training through the George Hull Centre and is a member of the ADR Institute of Canada, all of which has provided him with a strong foundation for his work in the field.
Past experience as an Aboriginal Health Advocate, Indigenous Cultural Safety Trainer, Mental Health Worker and Master Suicide Intervention Trainer will aid in his position as a Family Group Conferencing and ODR Practitioner.
Guy strives to be a fair and impartial practitioner and firmly believes that social justice is a responsibility we all hold.
Jennifer Suzor
Jennifer has practiced family law in Windsor for over 27 years at all levels of the Court in Ontario. In 2004 she was certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a Specialist in Family Law. Now restricting her practice to mediation at Suzor Law and Mediation, she believes mediation should be the first choice for separating families in Ontario. Jennifer is an accredited family mediator and child protection mediator with many years of experience. In 2010 she began to operate the expanded Information and Mediation Program of the Ministry of Attorney General for the County of Essex as the President of Bridging Family Conflict. Jennifer is the President of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation and has served on many other charitable boards. She credits her experiences as a mother of four in a blended family as some of her toughest training. Currently Jennifer is interested in furthering the recognition of mediation as a distinct profession.
Jessica Cowling | MSW, RSW, Family Group Conferencing Coordinator, New Ways for Families Coach
I have worked with children and families in a variety of capacities in the last 10 years. Working with families involved in the child welfare system, children in care, and kinship families has provided me with numerous opportunities to see families become empowered to make good decisions for their children. I feel honoured to work with families and help them use the opportunity to determine their own outcomes through Family Group Conferencing.
Joanne Beasley | B.A., LL.B., AccFM(OAFM)
Joanne Beasley has been practising in family law and managing a busy law firm in London for 26 years. Full practice of family law including representation of children and parents in child protection matters. Also represents the Director, Family Responsibility Office. Member of Middlesex Family Lawyers’ Association and participates actively in the community and her children’s schools. Her practice includes mediation and collaborative law. Joanne mediates family law and child protection matters.
Laurie Sherry-Kirk | C. Med., M.A. SJES
Indigenous Dispute Resolution Practitioner
Greetings, I am Mohawk from Six Nations Grand River Territory and Anishinaawbe. I have been actively involved in dispute resolution since completing the collaborative professional alternative dispute resolution and family mediation program offered by Brock and York University (Atkinson College) in 1999. With over 20 years of experience and training in workplace mediation, family mediation and Indigenous dispute resolution, I also hold a Chartered Mediator designation with the ADR Institute of Canada and received certification as a Gladue report writer from the British Columbia Justice Institute in 2014. To expand my knowledge base I completed a Master’s degree in Social Justice and Equity Studies in 2014 and I am now currently completing a PhD in Social Work at McMaster University. My work at the university seeks to highlight the healing potential that Indigenous approaches to dispute resolution has for facilitating culturally responsive healing pathways for Indigenous people who are involved with the child welfare system.
In practice as an Indigenous dispute resolution circle facilitator, I consider it a privilege and honour to put into practice the traditional teachings and ceremonial practices that have been gifted to me by my Anishinaawbe and Onkwehonwe teachers. It is so rewarding to see how actively making use of traditional healing and ceremonial practices can be helpful for coordinate a culturally responsive approach for helping First Nations kids grow-up in their own families and communities.
Noongwo g’ miigwechweyaannaa GizheManido minik miinigwezwii’ anan miinwaa maanagooing (Today we give thanks to the Creator for our good fortune and what we have been given). Niá:wen
Human Services Diploma, Family Group Conference Coordinator
Lori is currently employed at Community Services Coordination Network as Service Coordinator. She has a diploma in Human Services and has worked in Children's Mental Health for over 20 years in a variety of roles. Lori has been a Family Group Conference Coordinator since 2010. Family Group Conferencing is based on the belief that families, when given the opportunity, will develop plans that provide safety for their children. What Lori enjoys most about FGC is how family is empowered through the process to develop and author a plan for their child(ren) that address the concerns of the Children’s Aid Society. Family Group Conference allows family to have a voice.
Louise Vandenbosch | MSW, RSW, ADR Practitioner, Family Group Conferencing Coordinator, Mentor & Provincial Trainer , OAFM Family mediator, Child Protection Mediator, New Ways for Families Coach
Louise has been practicing Family Group Conferencing since 2004. Louise is active in the FGC community and is the recent past chair of the FGC Ontario Provincial Resource Steering Committee.
Louise is the principal mediator with Wesbrook Mediation Services (www.wesbrook.org). Louise offers both family mediation and Child Protection Mediation in her practice. Louise enjoys working with families and child welfare agency staff to help bring resolution to some challenging situations. Louise is a fair and impartial practitioner who aims to focus on family strengths and provide hope to the situation. Louise has experience working with parents with children aged 0-6, adults and children with developmental disability, adults and children with mental health challenges and families who find themselves in conflict over a custody and access matters and many other challenging family situations. Louise has been a social worker for over 30 years and brings her experience to each unique family situation.
Louise offers New Ways for Families® counselling and is a trainer working with Bill Eddy of the High Conflict Institute.
Margot Post | Family Group Conferencing Coordinator, Professional/Life Coaching, Certified Parent Educator, Early Childhood Education (ECE)
Margot has over 15 years experience in the field of child welfare. She ran the Family Centered Conferencing Program at Community Justice Initiatives for 3 years where facilitated dialogues and FGDM’s were offered. She developed and implemented the Conflict and Communication Coaching Program which is still being utilized by Waterloo Family and Children Services.
Margot enjoys working with families and this is her passion. She believes strongly in family meetings to problem solve and in providing a voice to all. She strives to build strong relationships with families/children, creating an environment of safety and trust. She builds upon each child and family’s unique strengths and capabilities so that they may be able to hold conversations that always possess an underlying belief that every situation has possibilities and opportunities. Margot believes in assuming strength over weakness or dependence and in working with families through the process to coach them towards maximizing a collaborative process of change.
Marilyn Sutherland | MSW, ODR Practitioner
Marilyn has worked in the helping field for a number of years in various capacities such as child welfare, addictions, mental and health services for all ages. As a First Nations person, teaching and accommodating the revival of culture and traditions has been a purpose and focus. Current practice with ADR -Link since May 2015 has provided the opportunity to help families with conflict and understanding. Utilizing the traditional forms of helping has created a place for families to understand their strengths and worth as part of community. A phenomenon that has been complicating our world has intrigued and guided my own purpose in bringing lives together of all races. This is part of the world-view instrumental in the work as helpers.
Paul Brown | Family Group Conference Practitioner, Child Protection Mediation Practitioner
Prior to beginning my conflict resolution career, I worked in Child Welfare. This gave me the opportunity to implement Mediation, Triple P (Positive Parenting Program), and Solution Focused strategies on an almost daily basis. I am also a retired (volunteer) firefighter. All of these experiences combined have served me well in my transition to dispute resolution, as I am able to stay calm while dealing with crisis situations. An Accredited Family Mediator, I received my Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Trent University. I am a Child Protection Mediator and Family Group (Decision-Making) Coordinator, and on the Ontario Provincial Roster for both. The views of children are very important to me and as a result, I prefer a child-inclusive process.
Paula DeVeto | MSW, RSW, BA, ACCFM (OAFM), CPMED
Paula DeVeto has been practicing as a clinical social worker for the past 24 years and is a Registered Social Worker (OCSWSSW). She holds a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University (1992), a Bachelor of Arts degree (High Honours) in Sociology with a Concentration in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Carleton University (1990) as well as an Advanced Certificate in Couple and Family Therapy Studies from the University of Guelph (1998).
Paula is an Accredited Family Mediator and Child Protection Mediator (OAFM) and is also trained as a mental health specialist to the Collaborative Law Process.
For the past decade, Paula has been operating a full time private practice in London, Ontario, which specializes in the resolution of family conflict. In addition to her work as a child protection mediator she conducts private mediations primarily focused on parenting, offers individual, marital and family therapy, as well as re-integration counselling and Parenting Coordination services.
Paula is also a longstanding clinical panel member with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer and has extensive experience conducting custody and access assessments and providing clinical assists to children’s counsel.
Paula has experience working with men, women and youth in the criminal justice system, in children’s mental health with youth at risk of out of home placement, and in adult mental health with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. She also has specialized knowledge and experience assisting children and adults impacted by adoption.
Kathleen Chapman | B.A. (Hons). L.L.B., AccFm (OAFM), CP Med
Kathleen Ann Chapman passed away peacefully on August 28, 2020. She will be dearly missed by her husband of 42 years Brian Parsons, daughters Christina (Tyler) and Alanna (Chris), her four grandsons Arthur, Luca, George and Owen, her sisters Mandy (Pete) and Joan, along with numerous nieces and nephews.
Born September 23, 1947 in London, England, Kathleen was the first child of Ron and Pearl Chapman, followed by siblings Peter, Ann, Joan and Mandy. The family moved to London, Ontario in 1957.
A tireless community builder and advocate for vulnerable communities, Kathleen was particularly passionate about supporting low-income families and mothers and children in violent situations. Her integrity and values guided her daily and shined throughout her life.
Called to the bar in 1976, Kathleen was only the second woman to practice family law in London, Ontario. In the early 1980’s she successfully represented Ontario’s first openly gay mother to obtain custody of her child, winning again when the decision was appealed. She also successfully represented a father, helping him obtain custody at a time when legal doctrine was to award custody of children under the age of seven to their mother.
Kathleen believed that mediation would reduce the trauma she saw inflicted on children and families by an adversarial, rigid, and costly legal court process. She founded The Family Mediation Centre in 1983 and began providing government-funded mediation services in London in 1995. By 2011, she was responsible for mediation services in almost half of all family courts in Ontario (including co-directing 11 courts across northern Ontario) through which thousands of families found support.
Kathleen had an infectiously positive spirit, never-ending energy, and a big heart. She approached every day as a new adventure, and valued every hour she could spend learning, travelling, and being with her children and grandchildren. She was well known for hosting elaborate dinner parties and for her distinctive, infectious laugh that could be heard across the room.
Towards the end of her life, Kathleen expressed tremendous gratitude for a very blessed life: a happy childhood, a career that allowed her to focus on things that she felt were important, and incredible family and friends. She drew comfort from a strong spiritual base, and the joy that comes from a life well lived. She will be remembered as a wonderful partner, mother, grandmother and friend.
Rita Burgoyne | B.S.W. R.S.W., Member AFCC, OCSWSSW Licensed Social Worker, State of Michigan Licensed Social Worker, Member OAFM AFCC
Rita Burgoyne is a licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years experience working with Children and Families in the Mental Health field. She is a certified Family Group Conference Coordinator and is currently completing her Mediation internship.
Rita travels throughout the Southwest region as well as the Central region of Ontario. Her private practice is based in Amherstburg and also in Brantford.
Rita Burgoyne has experience working with First Nations and Metis people which has taught her many great life lessons and is very close to her heart.
She is a clinician who is always learning and an exceptional advocate for the rights of all people.
Robyn Hurley | B.A, LL.B., CPMED, ACC FM
Associate Mediator, Robyn Hurley, is an experienced family lawyer and an accredited family mediator with the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM). She is also a child protection mediator. Robyn offers mediation services in London, Ontario in all aspects of family law, and mediates with a superior court-connected mediation roster, mediate393. Robyn provides legal representation to children in custody, access, and child protection cases as a panel member of the Office of the Children’s Lawyer.
Robyn was called to the bar in 2004. She has represented clients in all aspects of family law, including both collaborative negotiations and court proceedings. She has the unique experience of having acted for parents, children, and Children’s Aid Societies in child protection matters.
Robyn employs an interest-based, family-focused, and collaborative approach to cases, which reduces conflict and helps families move forward.
Robyn has been a guest lecturer at Western University's Faculty of Social Work, Children and Social Institutions program, and Fanshawe College's paralegal program. She also provides mediation coaching and training courses for professionals on Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediation, and Screening for Domestic Violence.
Robyn holds an LL.B. from Western University Faculty of Law (2003), and an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Western University (2000). She also studied law in New Zealand at Otago University, Faculty of Law, as part of Western Law's international exchange program.
Sandi Evans | B.A., SSW
Sandi has been a Family Group Conferencing Coordinator since 2005. Sandi works as Manager of Children’s Services at Community Services Coordination Network. She enjoys family group conference work because she believes it is important for families to have a voice whenever possible. Sandi believes that given the opportunity, families can make safe plans for children.
Taralea Scammell | Accredited Family Group Conference Coordinator and Mentor
Taralea is an Accredited Family Group Conference Coordinator and Mentor with the George Hull Centre since 2010. She has worked in restorative justice and social service since 1997 in the Waterloo Region and Southwestern Ontario. Taralea absolutely loves the process of Family Group Conferencing!
Tobi Siew | MPA, CPMED, ACC FM, Family Group Conference Practitioner
Tobi Siew is a family-focused Mediator, Coach and Facilitator. She is an Accredited Member of the Ontario Association of Family Mediators (Acc.FM), a Member in good standing with the ADR Institute of Ontario and a Coach practitioner. She also maintains designations as a Family Group Conference Coordinator and a Child Protection Mediator, recognized with both the Provincial Roster and the ADR Link working with families involved with the Children's Aid Society.
Tobi Siew opened her mediation and consulting practice in London, Ontario, after working as an Individual Counsellor with women and children. She has extensive experience working with families in a broad range of high conflict situations, aiming to support families in their effort to reach a sustainable resolution.
Tracey Lipp | MSW, RSW, Family Group Conference Practitioner, New Ways for Families Coach
Tracey Lipp is a registered Social Worker with over 25 years of experience working in children’s mental health, developmental services, child welfare, community development and alternative dispute resolution.
Tracey is a private practitioner and offers individual, couple and family counselling, parent coordination services and assessments for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer through her Parent Partner Services. Assisting families, who are experiencing conflict, in finding workable solutions is her passion.
Tracey is also registered as a Family Conferencing Coordinator and Mentor and offers ADR services to Children’s Aid Societies through ADR-Link.
Tracey received her Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) from King’s University College in 1992. Tracey earned her Masters of Social Work from King’s University College in 2011 and proudly received the Mary Lou Karley award for excellence in Social Work practice and leadership.
ADR-LINK ROSTER STATUS:
OPEN – ODR PRACTITIONER APPLICANTS ONLY.
ADR-Link accepts applications to join our roster only when the roster is “open”. When the roster is “open”, ADR-Link is seeking applicants. When the roster is “closed”, ADR-Link is not seeking applicants. However, there may be circumstances when ADR-Link is seeking applicants specifically for CPM, FGC, or ODR at any time due to demand for service. Please see below for the current status of the ADR-Link roster
If the ADR-Link roster is “open”, please follow these steps to apply:
- In order to apply, you must first be on the roster of the Ontario Association for Family Mediation and/or the George Hull Centre roster and/or are a qualified ODR Practitioner
- Must be available to take cases within the South West Region of Ontario
- Complete application form linked below
- Submit application form to ADR-Link with an updated resume, Police Vulnerable Sector Check, and proof of liability insurance
- If accepting new applicants, ADR-Link will be in contact to arrange an interview
- Interview with ADR-Link
- If accepted to the roster, acceptance letter issued
- Submission of photo and biography to ADR-Link
- Placement on ADR-Link roster
Application to be placed on ADR-Link Practitioner roster