About me
I am a consultant, educator, public speaker, therapist, activist, and Social Worker (MSW, RSW) with over 25 years of experience. I have facilitated hundreds of workshops, debriefings, grief circles, leadership consultations, and speaking engagements.
My work focuses on supporting trauma-informed, trauma-responsive, and equity-oriented practices. I support individuals and groups to navigate conflict and vicarious trauma, strengthen communication and psychological safety, and build practices of self and collective care.
I believe change becomes possible when people feel safe to reflect, challenged to grow, and connected to one another. I guide individuals, teams, and organizations in aligning their practices with their values—developing practical and sustainable ways of engaging in difficult and meaningful work without losing themselves in the process.
In my workshops and consultations, I create engaging and practical learning experiences that integrate professional and clinical expertise, storytelling, and reflective dialogue. I bring warmth, humour, curiosity, and deep listening to every conversation.
Organizations I have worked with include Victim Services Toronto/Peel, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association, SickKids Centre for Community Mental Health, the City of Ottawa, Sanctuary, the City of Toronto, a wide range of housing and homelessness-serving organizations across Toronto, and the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute where I also co-facilitate the Giwiidabindimin Certificate Program. I have taught in university social work programs for more than a decade, specifically the BSW and MSW Programs at the University of Windsor and Toronto Metropolitan University.
Throughout my career, I have worked in a wide range of settings, including as Director of Counselling at the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, a street outreach worker, a youth worker, and a therapist. Alongside my consulting and clinical work, I am an award-winning filmmaker and poet, exploring family, trauma, memory, activism, grief, hope, and social change. My first documentary, Hello. My Name is Herman, screened internationally, and I am currently directing my second film, Hello. My Name is Alan.
I am a lifelong learner and believe that meaningful practice requires ongoing curiosity, reflection, and growth. Throughout my career, I have continued to deepen my practice through formal education, specialized training, clinical supervision, consultation, and learning alongside teachers, colleagues, clients, and communities.
My work is also informed by more than two decades of community organizing and social justice activism. I bring an intersectional feminist, anti-oppressive, disability-affirming, anti-colonial, trauma-informed, embodied, and queer and trans-affirming lens throughout all my work. I recognize that our well-being is shaped not only by individual experiences but also by our relationships, histories, communities, and the systemic realities in which we work and live. My approach recognizes that social justice, climate justice, and the well-being of people and the planet are deeply interconnected. My work and life reflect my values and commitment to a world where everyone lives with dignity, equity and belonging.