Kat has been working with people in conflict for over 22 years and has been providing services by distance for over 10 years. She has a diverse practice as a dispute resolution professional and registered social worker, in private practice. Kat’s practice emphasis is on relationship building and working across differences with a trauma informed and strength-based approach. Her main area of focus is working with families and groups with complex circumstances such as high conflict, a history of trauma or mental health challenges, addiction, involvement with the legal system or intercultural issues. Kat provides dispute resolution services, counselling and coaching, training, restorative justice circles, child interviewing and family assessments, organizational development, and group facilitation. She designs and provides training on mediation and conflict resolution skills, trauma informed practice, sexualized violence prevention, and family violence screening. Kat is also on the faculties of the Justice Institute of BC in both the Centre for Conflict Resolution and the Centre for Counselling and Community Safety, Continuing Legal Education of BC, and Herzing College in the Kompass Professional Development Program.
She has a Master of Social Work with a Clinical Specialization and is a Chartered Arbitrator, Mediator, and Med-Arbitrator certified by ADR Canada, an Advanced Comprehensive Family Mediator certified by Family Mediation Canada, is on the rosters of Mediate BC, the BC Hear the Child, the BC Parenting Coordinator Roster Society and is recognized as a Qualified Parenting Coordinator in Saskatchewan. Kat received her Certificate in Conflict Analysis and Management and her Certificate in Family Mediation from The Institute of Conflict Analysis and Management. She received her Certificate in Arbitration from the ADRBC (formerly BCAMI). She is Past President of the BC Parenting Coordinators Roster Society and is Vice-President of the University of Victoria Alumni Association and is a former member of the Board of Directors of ADRBC and Family Mediation Canada. Kat is also a volunteer restorative justice facilitator with Restorative Justice Victoria, and is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and Family Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario (FDRIO).