I am currently employed by the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors (AIPC) and the Life Coaching Institute of Queensland (LCIA) as a trainer and assessor. In this capacity I am involved as both a consultant and seminar presenter.
I was raised in Toronto Canada and completed my university studies there when graduating with an honours degree in what now would be termed the ‘behavioural sciencesâ€. I have since added to these qualifications with a Diploma from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors and a Certificate 1V from the Life Coaching Institute of Australia.
After a brief stint in the world of advertising – which I found interesting and an eye-opening experience I became a Probation and Parole Officer for the Ontario Correctional Services. A lifetime of learning was cramped into the six years I spent as a fieldworker and later as a training and development officer. I was involved in numerous projects including the design and implementation of Life Skills programs for offenders.
I was not as yet ‘jaded†and still held unto my belief that people could change, but the conviction was becoming a bit shaky and so it was time for a change. A move to Australia and the birth of my son brought this much needed changed. After additional studies I opened an early education center based on the Montessori principles of child development. I now became very much involved in family and couple issues. I worked with couples and groups and looked at change through skills development and value clarification.
After a brief sojourn into the field of hospitality and personal growth through artistic pursuits I found myself back in the world of counselling which I now augmented with a life coaching focus. For the last fifteen years I have been a dedicated counsellor and life skills coach. My approach is the culmination of life experience, academic understanding, skills development and an evolving personal value system.
My downtime is spent sharing ideas with my partner and friends and reading books on topics related to my work, spiritual concepts and fiction. I do love a good Science Fiction story. I enjoy swimming and bush walking and don’t mind time on my own listening to music and pondering life. A lot of my satisfaction comes from the people I work with who privilege me when they share their life stories.
To sum me up. I believe “you must be the change you wish to see in the worldâ€. I follow no religion and am constantly reviewing my personal philosophy. I am a realist to the extent that I acknowledge that the world is a troubled place and I need not enumerate all the atrocities that people inflict on each other and on the physical planet to back this up. However I do believe that the human being is capable of great kindness and compassion and has a creative soul that has enabled our species to survive so far. I put my faith in this capacity and I choose to believe that each and everyone of us can make a difference for the better both personally and globally.
