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Bridge

Our 
Story

AFCC is unique as a professional association as its members do not all share a common profession. AFCC members are members of the judiciary, lawyers, mediators, psychologists, researchers, academics, counselors, Court Commissioners, custody evaluators, psychiatrists, parenting coordinators, Court Administrators, social workers, parent educators, financial professionals, and students.

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts ("AFCC") is an international network of professionals assisting in the family law arena. AFCC has several chapters in the United States of America, Australia and Canada. AFCC members share a strong commitment to education, innovation and collaboration in order to benefit communities, empower families and promote a healthy future of children. There are presently 23 chapters of the AFCC. Alberta officially gained its chapter status in 2015. The Alberta Chapter of the AFCC gained incorporation status under the Societies Act of the Government of Alberta, and is a registered charity under the Canada Income Tax Act. The AFCC Alberta Chapter acts as a non-profit organization. 

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Alberta AFCC provides its members with a variety of benefits; conferences, webinars and training in relevant areas such as Parenting Coordination, Arbitration, reviewing Alberta Court of King's Bench Family Practice Notes 7 and 8 ("PN7 and PN8 interventions"), lunch and learns, and dinner meetings in both Calgary and Edmonton. Along with funds from the parenting organization, Alberta AFCC has provided scholarships to AFCC and Alberta AFCC conferences, and awards a free membership, on merit, once each year. A self-identified list of Parenting Experts conducting interventions or assessments under the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Family Law Practice Notes 7 and 8 was created for the benefit of Albertans (the "Referral List"). The Referral List is one of the only resources recognized by the Court of Queen's Bench as providing a roster of psychologists and social workers who conduct various PN7 interventions in Alberta. 

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Members of the AFCC Alberta Chapter are committed to bettering family reconciliation in the beautiful province of Alberta.

Family reading
Mission Vision Values

Mission

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AFCC is an interdisciplinary, international association of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the resolution of family conflict.
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AFCC promotes a collaborative approach to serving the needs of children among those who work in and with family law systems, encouraging education, research and innovation and identifying best practices.

Vision

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A justice system in which all professionals work collaboratively through education, support, and access to services to achieve the best possible outcome for children and families.

Values

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Collaboration and respect among professions and disciplines.
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Learning through inquiry, discussion and debate.
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Innovation in addressing the needs of families and children in conflict.
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Diversity in family structures
and cultures.
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Empowering families to resolve conflict and make decisions about their future.
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Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

President

Brandi Smith

R. Psychologist

Brandi Smith has been working as a Registered Psychologist in Alberta for 11 years and working with children and youth since 2001. She has a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology. Brandi began working with children and youth as a crisis intervention worker, youth worker, and family support worker in the Child and Family Services system while she completed her clinical education and registration process. Once registered, Brandi continued to make child and youth her primary clinical focus and worked both in the Child and Family Services system and the health care system. Brandi has been in private practice at Creating Solutions for the last 13 years and works with diverse clients, including children, youth, adults, and families both in evaluation and therapy. When working with families experiencing separation and divorce, Brandi’s primary focus continues to be healthy children and healthy family systems regardless of the current level of conflict. As a result, Brandi works with families at various levels of legal involvement, from those completing a “kitchen table” agreement to those within a litigation process. Outside of separation and divorce clients, Brandi also specializes in clients experiencing the impacts of motor vehicle accidents, educational assessments, and various mental health diagnoses.
Treasurer

Treasurer

Jonathan Tieman

Lawyer

Jonathan Tieman is a lawyer, mediator and collaborative lawyer who practices law in Brooks and Medicine Hat, Alberta. Jonathan has appeared at all levels of court in Alberta, and has expansive experience in resolving disputes (through alternative dispute resolution and the courts). Jonathan is a part-time instructor at Medicine Hat College (since 2008) teaching business law.
Board Member

Board Member

Elizabeth Kinhnicki

Lawyer, Mediator

obtained my Juris Doctor from the University of Calgary in 2012 and have worked in Leduc, Alberta ever since. Being outside of Edmonton, gives me the opportunity to serve rural clients from areas like Leduc, Wetaskiwin, Camrose, and Drayton Valley. I regularly appear in rural courthouses as Duty Counsel helping self represented litigants or even just as a friend of the court when there are no duty counsel services. I also do Duty Counsel for Emergency Protection Orders and assist Claimants with their EPO reviews. Accepting Legal Aid Certificates has always been part of my practice because I believe it is important to serve the vulnerable and marginalized families. I am currently the Co-Chair of the Child and Youth Section of the Canadian Bar Association and a longstanding member of the Alberta Chapter of Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). I am interested in serving on the AFCC board because I believe in the good work that this organization and its members engage in. Family Law has always been the bulk of my practices. Recently, much of my family practice has transitioned to representing children in both family law disputes and child welfare matters. I am always saddened to see how conflict directly impacts the children. Representing ‘tiny humans’, as I call them, is my favorite, because I believe they are the most important people in the room and am sad that their needs are often forgotten when parents are lost in their own feelings and conflict. My altruistic hope is that if we as professionals continue to work together, we can help families reframe their focus and move forward in a healthier way. I believe that the collaboration of professionals, who are keen on minimizing conflict and helping families move forward, is instrumental to changing the narrative of what a ‘separation’ looks like.
Board Member

Board Member

Dr. Beth Archer-Kuhn

Social Worker

Beth brings with her twenty-five years of practice experience, starting in child welfare. Beth was employed in children’s mental health for over 20 years as a clinical social worker, clinical director of services, and executive director. For 15 years, Beth completed child custody and access evaluations for the family court in Ontario. Beth’s research experience and interests include the overlap of child custody decision-making and domestic violence, specifically in relation to shared parenting. The implications of this work invite partnerships in the fields of social work, child welfare, children’s mental health, domestic violence shelters and law. As a Teaching Scholar and Professor at the University of Calgary, Beth’s second area of research is social work education with a specific interest in inquiry-based learning, on campus, on-line and study abroad. She teaches across programs, clinical, ICD, leadership, and across levels of programs, BSW, MSW, and PhD.
Board Member

Board Member

Dr. Terry Singh

Ph.D., R. Psychologist

Dr. Terry Singh is a Registered Psychologist. He holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with post-graduate specialization in Child and Family Forensics, and has had more than a decade of clinical experience in Canada and the USA. He has served as a Professor at the university level, is an internationally-recognized researcher, and has been the recipient of several national and provincial awards over the course of his career. At this time, Dr. Singh’s primary work involves assisting Court-involved individuals, couples, and families of divorce and separation during and after the transition via evaluation (Practice Note 7 and Practice Note 8), treatment, mediation, parenting coordination, and arbitration. He has been qualified as an expert witness and provided testimony in both the Provincial Court and the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta. His areas of special interest include child custody evaluation, consideration of cultural factors in assessment and treatment, and the treatment of severe and persistent psychopathology.
Board Member

Board Member

Jane Gillespie

RSCW

Jane Gillespie is a Registered Clinical Social Worker with over two decades of experience assisting at-risk children and families. Ms. Gillespie has a Clinical Master of Social Work (MSW) with a children's mental health specialization; her practice is focused on assessment and intervention with children impacted by family violence, involved in family law matters, or caught up in contentious parenting disputes. In 2020, Ms. Gillespie co-created a Therapeutic Access program used exclusively with separated and divorced families, or where there is a history of family violence. Ms. Gillespie has presented on the topic of Therapeutic Access locally and internationally and has lectured on the topic at the University level. Ms. Gillespie is a member of the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), the Social Work Association of Alberta (SWAA), the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), the Alberta Family Mediation Society (AFMS) and Circle of Security Parenting International. Her areas of practice include Counselling for Children and Adolescents, Practice Note 7 Interventions including Views of the Child, Child Consultant, Child Development Consultations, Therapeutic Access and Reunification Family Therapy.
Board Member

Board Member

Honourable Justice Ola Malik

Alberta Court of King's Bench Justice

Justice Malik entered private practice after being called to the Alberta Bar in 2002. Justice Malik was a lawyer in the Legal Services department at the City of Calgary, where he has practised in the areas of prosecutions, regulatory law, and Charter litigation. Justice Malik is deeply involved in professional organizations, and in 2019-20, he served as the President of the Canadian Bar Association for Alberta. Justice Malik is deeply committed to understanding the challenges that many of our most vulnerable and marginalized communities face and to improving the administration of justice so these communities can be better served.
Past President

Past President

Traci Bannister

Lawyer

Traci Bannister practiced as a Family Law Lawyer and Mediator in South Africa for 20 years before moving with her family to Calgary, Alberta in 2012. She has requalified as a Barrister/Solicitor in Alberta and was called to the bar in June 2015.
Secretary

Secretary

Dr. Susan Clark

R. Psychologist

Dr. Susan Clark is a Registered Psychologist and co-founder of the Calgary-based private practice: Taylor Clark Psychological Services. Dr. Clark has extensive clinical and forensic experience, in Canada and the USA, specializing in divorce and separation. She is a member in good standing of the College of Alberta Psychologists. In addition to her private practice, Dr. Clark often volunteers her time as an Expert Witness for the University of Calgary Trial Advocacy Program. Dr. Clark has lectured at the University level and presented at nationally and internationally renowned conferences. Her involvement within the psycho-legal arena has led her to specialize in high conflict Child Custody Evaluations, Parent Consultant, Views of the Child Interventions, Parenting Coordination-Arbitration, Reunification Therapy, and Litigation Support. Most recently, she contributed to the latest provisions of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Practice Note 7 and 8.
Board Member

Board Member

Krista Bolton

Mediator, Family Conflict Resolution Specialist

Krista Bolton is an accomplished Family Mediator and Conflict Resolution professional based in Edmonton. With over 15 years of experience in resolving family disputes, Krista has worked extensively in various mediation and conflict coaching roles, helping individuals navigate complex family dynamics, including separation and divorce. Krista supervised the Child Support Resolution Program for Alberta Justice Resolution Services and now coordinates their Regional Family Mediation Program and supports the Children’s Services Mediation Program. Krista has valuable board experience as former Chair and Public Member for the Real Estate Council of Alberta, where she contributed to major organizational projects such as strategic planning and financial oversight. She also served as a hearing panel member for Tribunal Hearings for licensed industry members and as a public member on the Alberta Real Estate Foundation board. In addition to her leadership roles, Krista is a passionate educator and has assisted in developing and co-facilitating training courses in conflict resolution. She is also a lifelong learner, committed to staying current with evolving mediation practices and conflict resolution strategies. Her diverse background includes certifications in conflict management, training in Meeting with Children, Coaching for Conflict, Administrative Justice, as well as extensive family violence and trauma informed practices.
Board Member

Board Member

Dr. Erin Buhr

Ph.D., R. Psychologist

has been in clinical practice since 2001 working with parents, children and families. She is a Registered Psychologist with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Calgary and a graduate degree in Counselling Psychology from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Ms. Lux has specialized training and experience in working with couples and their families as they go through divorce and post-divorce. Ms. Lux provides divorce-related forensic services such as parent mediation, parent coordination, co-parenting counselling, reunification therapy, psychological testing, parenting-time/parenting responsibility assessments (previously known as bilateral custody and access assessments), parental fitness evaluations and litigation support. She has published in the area of coercive control and its relevance to best interest determinations in Canadian family law.
Board Member

Board Member

Glenda Lux

M.A., R. Psychologist

Ms. Lux has been in clinical practice since 2001 working with parents, children and families. She is a Registered Psychologist with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Calgary and a graduate degree in Counselling Psychology from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Ms. Lux has specialized training and experience in working with couples and their families as they go through divorce and post-divorce. Ms. Lux provides divorce-related forensic services such as parent mediation, parent coordination, co-parenting counselling, reunification therapy, psychological testing, parenting-time/parenting responsibility assessments (previously known as bilateral custody and access assessments), parental fitness evaluations and litigation support. She has published in the area of coercive control and its relevance to best interest determinations in Canadian family law.
Board Member

Board Member

Yoko Azumaya

Family Lawyer

Yoko obtained her Law Degree from the University of Alberta in 2007 after achieving a Master’s Degree in Neuroscience from the University of Hiroshima and a second Master’s Degree in Psychiatry from the University of Alberta. Yoko has focused her practice in Family Law, including divorce, parenting, support, and division of property issues, with a goal to help families transition through this difficult period. She is diligent in explaining not only the law but also the process to her clients to reduce the emotional and psychological stress of the breakup. Yoko believes that parties reach the most satisfactory outcomes through collaborative negotiation, preferring to avoid litigation unless no other reasonable solution can be reached. She has been training to become a mediator through the ADR Institute of Alberta (ADRIA) and stays current with changes in the law by regularly attending legal education courses and Canadian Bar Association seminars. She is also a registered Collaborative lawyer. Yoko joined Barr LLP in 2013 and became a partner in 2015. Yoko is proud to be a part of Barr LLP, a highly regarded Family Law group with a wealth of knowledge and years of expertise from which to draw from. Yoko’s mother tongue is Japanese, having moved to Edmonton from Hiroshima, Japan in 1998. She has been actively involved in the Edmonton Japanese Community Association and is a past-president of the organization. Much of Yoko’s free time is dedicated to volunteering. She has been an executive member of the Family Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) North section since 2016. In 2023, she was voted in to be a CBA Board Member to support fellow members further.
Past President Statement
President's Message

Message from the AFCC Alberta Chapter President, Brandi Smith, Registered Psychologist

 

As a psychologist who works with families navigating complex transitions, I am honoured to step into the role of President of the Alberta Chapter of the AFCC. This organization continues to be an example of interdisciplinary collaboration, drawing together mental health professionals, legal practitioners, judges, mediators, and academics—all committed to supporting families through times of conflict and change. I have seen firsthand the critical importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in achieving outcomes that support the long-term well-being of children and families.

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In Alberta, we face unique challenges—and opportunities—when it comes to family justice. Whether in urban centres or remote communities, our shared goal remains clear: to prioritize the well-being of children and families by advancing informed, compassionate, and evidence-based approaches to dispute resolution.

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Our chapter exists to bring professionals together to share knowledge, challenge assumptions, and develop practices that put children’s needs at the center. Over the coming year, we will continue to promote research-informed approaches to high-conflict family matters, enhance access to training opportunities across the province, and foster respectful dialogue among the many professionals who contribute to this field.

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Thank you for being part of this vital work. The well-being of Alberta’s children depends on all of us—working together, learning together, and never losing sight of the impact we can have. I look forward to working alongside each of you as we build on the strong foundation laid by past leaders.

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Brandi Smith, Registered Psychologist

AFCC Alberta Chapter President

A Brief History
eileen ailon calgary.jpg

Eileen Ailon

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ALBERTA CHAPTER OF AFCC FROM INCEPTION IN 2012 TO COMING OF AGE IN 2019

Eileen has been a Registered Psychologist since 1975. She has been in private practice since 1980, bringing a wide range of skills and experience to the firm. Additionally, she is a trained Mediator and believes these skills are invaluable in the broadening arenas of conflict resolution.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ALBERTA AFCC FROM INCEPTION IN 2012 TO COMING OF AGE IN 2019

 

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts is an interdisciplinary and international association of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through the resolution of family conflict. AFCC members share a strong commitment to education, innovation and collaboration in order to benefit communities, empower families and promote a healthy future of children.  Attending AFCC trainings and conferences, generally located in various cities in the USA, contributed to a significant base of professionals in Alberta, believing that membership in AFCC was helpful to the point of being a requisite to working with families in transition and especially those who were in conflict.

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At an AFCC Annual Conference in Vancouver B.C., in 2011, several Albertans were invited to the dinner celebration, for the Ontario Chapter of AFCC coming into being. Their excitement as the first Canadian AFCC Chapter, was contagious. After a terrifying but exhilarating taxi ride back to the conference hotel, several Alberta delegates agreed that as we had survived the “kamikaze” taxi driver, we could take on the Chapter building task. We decided that if Ontario could form a Chapter, then Alberta could absolutely do so…and the rest is history.

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The parent organization and the Ontario Chapter were incredibly generous with their assistance as we progressed from concept to fruition. We applied for our Provisional Chapter Status on August 15 of 2012. We worked through the parent organization’s “Chapter Tool Kit” step by step and we succeeded on gaining the initial requirement of 75 members in our province and progressed to become a Chapter. We had industrious people on the Coordinating Committee, who guided us through the process with their dedication and wisdom.

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The Honourable Judge Lynn Cook-Stanhope, the Honourable Madam Justice Andrea Moen, The Honourable Mr. Justice Bryan Mahoney, Jane Hoffman (lawyer), Patricia Hebert (lawyer), Dr. Bonnie Haave (psychologist), Dr. Stephen Carter (psychologist) and Eileen Ailon (psychologist), formed the Coordinating Committee. The process of setting up the Chapter involved a good deal of time and the completion of many tasks. The committee worked to build the membership base, prepare  the Chapter by-laws, designate a Chapter liaison with the parent organization, develop a web site, develop a financial plan and budget, develop a treasurer’s report and submit financial statements to the Coordinating Committee, gain incorporation under the Societies Act of the Government of Alberta, apply to register as a charity under the Income Tax Act, set up the key committees of the Board of Directors, set up Board Liability Insurance, set up Chapter bank account, design a Chapter logo, and plan for trainings and conferences relevant to Alberta members. It took over 2 years to work through the process to become a Chartered Chapter.

 

On March 14, 2014, Alberta AFCC held its Inaugural Board of Director’s Meeting at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law. Dr. Stephen Carter, psychologist, was elected our first President. The members of the first board included: Judge Nancy Flatters, Krista Frohlich (lawyer), Bonnie Have (psychologist), Elise Lavigne, (lawyer), Greg Pickering (psychologist), Nicole Sheldon (psychologist), Barbara Sheptycki (psychologist), Lorri Yasenik (social worker), Jane Hoffman (lawyer) and Eileen Ailon (psychologist). The membership of the board reflected the interdisciplinary, professional backgrounds of members as well as the geographical make up of our province. We alternated Presidents as coming from either Edmonton or Calgary and alternated the location of our annual conferences between these two major centers in Alberta. (Read More)

Let’s
Connect

AFCC Alberta Chapter 

 c/o Mr. Jonathan Tieman, Treasurer,

Maclean Wiedemann Lawyers LLP

422 6th Street S.E. 

Medicine Hat,

Alberta  T1A 1H5

587-760-1119

afccalberta@gmail.com

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