facilitator

Welcome to Make Decisions Together. I am the founder and principal facilitator, bringing over a decade of specialized experience in aging, health care systems, and family dynamics to help families navigate the complexities of caregiving, health challenges, and aging with clarity and compassion.

My background combines practical leadership and advanced academic training across the continuum of care. My professional experience spans leading regional caregiver support programs, developing patient navigation resources for older adults, and facilitating stakeholder engagement for health system planning and policy development. 

Throughout my career, I have addressed a wide range of issues that families commonly face, including:

• Supporting families through dementia diagnosis and care, addressing both emotional adjustment and practical challenges.
• Facilitating difficult conversations about end-of-life decisions, advance directives, and the withdrawal of treatment, ensuring every family member’s voice is heard and respected.
• Navigating and resolving interfamily conflict, drawing on both formal training and real-world experience in conflict analysis and resolution.
• Helping families clarify roles and responsibilities, share caregiving duties, and build consensus during stressful transitions.
• Applying psychological insights to family dynamics, communication, and decision-making, including the impact of stress, grief, and changing family structures.

As a PhD candidate in Health Sciences at Carleton University, my research focuses on improving access to hospice and end-of-life care in resource-limited settings. I hold a Master’s in Aging and Health from Queen’s University, where I studied the unique challenges faced by family caregivers—including uncertainty, exhaustion, and the psychological toll of supporting loved ones through terminal illness. My Bachelor’s in Psychology grounds my approach in a deep understanding of family roles, group decision-making, and the emotional and cognitive factors that shape how families respond to health crises.

I am committed to health equity, evidence-based practice, and supporting families through every stage of the aging and caregiving journey.

In addition to my academic and professional expertise, I am an accredited family and intergenerational mediator, having completed rigorous training recognized by the Ontario Association for Family Mediation (OAFM). My credentials include specialized coursework in family mediation, family law, and family relations. This training ensures I adhere to the highest standards of practice, including regular education in conflict resolution, power dynamics, and ethical considerations, and positions me to provide safe, structured, and effective facilitation for families navigating complex decisions about aging, health, and caregiving.

At Make Decisions Together, I combine research, facilitation, and mediation to provide families with the tools, guidance, and support they need to make informed, collaborative decisions—no matter how complex the situation.