Program Overview

Click here to read an interview on our blog with Mary Joseph 

B.A., M.Div., D. Jur., C. Med., AccFm., AccIM

Barrister and Solicitor (retired)

She is a certified family mediator and a certified intergenerational mediator with the Ontario Association of Family Mediators and a Chartered Mediator with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada and Ontario.

Mary practised immigration law from 1986 until 2004, with an emphasis on refugee law and skilled and domestic workers. She was also Vice Chair of the Canadian Bar Association – Ontario in Immigration as well as the founder and editor of their immigration newsletter. She was one of the original pioneers of same-sex immigration for Canada. From 2002 until her retirement in 2018, Mary practised collaborative family law exclusively. She was also ordained by the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches in 1999 and was a part-time pastor and mission strategist for the United Church of Canada until her retirement at the end of 2018.

She has been a guest lecturer at numerous educational institutions and societies, including the Canadian Bar Association, Osgoode Hall Law School, and the University of Toronto as well as the Learned Society and Mensa International.

Prior to being called to the bar, Mary tried out a variety of professions, including police officer, immigration border examining officer, industrial firefighter and private investigator as well as several other service sector professions before committing to a lifelong practice of law. She is also a former board member of the Elizabeth Fry Society.

Mary holds a college diploma from Niagara College, Bachelor of Arts from Brock University, a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and Masters of Divinity from Victoria University at University of Toronto.

Her published work includes: 2005: Seeking the Sacred; Leading a Spiritual Life in a Secular World ECW Press; Toronto 2006 (prolegomenon) (founder and ED of Seekers Dialogue), 1990 – 1993 Immigration and Citizenship Update, Canadian Bar Association – Ontario Immigration Newsletter Founder / Editor, 1985 Illegal Immigrants: Know Your Rights, Pamphlet for the Illegal Immigrant Support Group Toronto, Ontario, 1983 Immigration Handbook, Department of Justice Joint Author  (Unpublished)

Click to read our blog interview with Hayley

Hayley is an accredited mediator with the Ontario Association for Family Mediation. She has a master’s degree from the University of Toronto in the Counselling Psychology program. She specializes in post-modernist theories, such as brief therapy, narrative strategies, and control mastery theories, as well as cognitive theory and CBT. Her undergraduate work trained her as a Child and Youth Worker, specializing in child development and behaviour in various milieus. She has co-created over 50 parenting plans with a range of needs, issues, and stages of child development as well as adult changes in executive and cognitive functioning.

Working in the children’s mental health field as an advocate and youth worker as well as with the Children’s Aid Society as a parent support worker, Hayley wished to take her skills in family relations, child development, and parenting strategies in a different direction. She chose to work with separating families. Hayley’s vision was a “one-stop shop” for families to work with a team of integrated and specialized professionals. Hayley trained and worked as a neutral with Collaborative Practise Toronto.  With Marion Korn (lawyer, mediator, and collaborative trainer) and Eva Sachs (financial specialist) they set up Mutual Solutions; a hybrid practice catering to divorcing couples.

Hayley has been teaching post-secondary diploma and degree courses for 25 years. She has found the mix of learning and practising very potent for professional and personal growth as well as supporting clients.  And she hopes to learn from you!

Since returning to the mediation field, she has immersed herself in working with high-conflict families and believes supporting families in crisis is essential and dynamic work.

MEd, BScN, RN

Mickey has over 27 years of nursing experience as both a licensed practical nurse and a registered nurse. He first graduated with a diploma in practical nursing in 1997 from Nova Scotia Community College, and later graduated from the joint University College of Cape Breton/St. Francis Xavier University nursing program in 2004. He has also completed a Master of Education with a focus on educational administration and leadership in 2012 through St. Francis Xavier University.

Following his graduation in 2004, he began work at a local community hospital on a medical/surgical unit.  In January 2005, he accepted a position at Cape Breton Regional Hospital in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units where he was employed until 2007.

In 2007, he accepted a position at St. Francis Xavier University as a clinical associate.  His primary role included teaching courses related to nursing care of children and infants along with other courses related to geriatrics and adult medicine and surgery throughout the first three years of the program. During this time, he was a faculty advisor for the nursing society, was a member of the Status of Women Committee at StFX, and worked with the Nova Scotia College of Nursing and other stakeholders on various projects relating to the local community and students.

In 2010, he returned to the Cape Breton District Health Authority as the Clinical Nurse Leader in Pediatrics as well as teaching in the nursing program at Cape Breton University from 2012 to 2014. In 2013, assumed the position of Manager of Maternal Child Services at Cape Breton Regional Hospital until 2017, when he became Director of Integrated Health-Community Sites within the Nova Scotia Health Authority. In 2017, he also began teaching as a part-time instructor within the distance nursing program at StFX.

Since 2018, he has been a Clinical Director on the Cape Breton Healthcare Redevelopment project while continuing to teach at Cape Breton University in their healthcare management program, and more recently Kompass.