I am an expert professional in the fields of restorative practices and dispute resolution. I am an accredited facilitator (accredited in Australia and the United States). I am a practitioner dedicated to addressing injustice and social harm. I work with individuals, families, organisations and whole-communities from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds, to support people to set relations right – by repairing harm, re/building relationships, and promoting wellbeing.
I acquired experience in a range of front-line service-delivery programs and in community projects before co-designing the pioneering dispute resolution and conflict management course at La Trobe Law School (between 2002- 2015). My doctoral thesis examines the application of restorative practices in mental health to better involve people in decision-making that affects their lives.
I have worked as an independent facilitator for over 30 years. My current professional practice includes providing restorative practice (RP) training, mentoring and technical support in developing programs and service delivery in justice, community and workplace contexts throughout Australia. I provide specialist services at the state and national level, for non-government and government agencies and programs including the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s Restorative Engagement Program, National Redress Scheme, National Indigenous Australians Agency, and restorative programs delivered by organisations such as Jesuit Social Services, the Koori Justice and ACT Restorative Justice Units.
I assist individuals and groups to resolve disputes, manage conflict and promote effective communication. I work with managers, policy makers, facilitators and evaluators in restorative programs that address family violence and sexual abuse. Workplaces include health and education/tertiary institutions. I work with individuals and groups to develop conflict resilient workplaces and to help improve the governance and relationship management of institutions, non and government organisations, service providers and community groups. I also provide individual and group supervision to managers and practitioners across various programs.
I provide professional development conflict transformation training workshops - Setting Relations Right - with Dr David Moore nationally and internationally. This workshop provides 3-day training on the practical theory of restorative practices and relationship management. The workshop is relevant for facilitators, managers, policy makers and evaluators. We also offer tailored in-house training to support the specific needs of an organisation, and so all stakeholders can contribute to the training design and achieve positive outcomes.
My research and publications have focused on improving access to justice, assessing the effectiveness of dispute resolution and conflict management in family matters, reforming mental health tribunals, and expanding the use of dispute resolution and restorative practices in the mental health field, and identifying effective responses to institutional abuse, adult and adolescent family violence and sexual abuse.
I recently co-authored with David Moore the book Setting Relations Right in Restorative Practice (2024).
I am currently Vice President of the Australian Association for Restorative Justice.