DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS
The Distinguished Member Award recognizes experienced AFCC Alberta Chapter members for their significant and substantial contributions to the resolution of family conflict, the family and conciliation courts, and the AFCC itself. The award is bestowed sparingly, and facilitates the intergenerational transmission of knowledge and insights amongst the AFCC Alberta Chapter community.
Dr. Stephen Carter, Ph.D., Registered Psychologist
Address to Chapter 2024
Chaper Contributions:
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AFCC Alberta Chapter Founding President (2014)
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Presenter, AFCC Alberta Chapter
Dr. Stephen Carter has worked as a Registered Psychologist since 1992. Dr. Carter specializes in working with adolescents and children in the areas of counselling and assessment as well as parenting/psychological and custody assessments with adults. His work history includes employment as a teacher and a school counsellor prior to entering private practice. Along with working in private practice, Dr. Carter is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta. He was previously an Executive Director of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta for several years.
Dr. Carter has worked with children, adults and adolescents for many years and assists individuals and their families in dealing with serious problems including abuse, anxiety and depression, behavioural disorders, self-injurious behaviour, relationship problems and work stress. Dr. Carter has delivered many workshops, presentations and media interviews on topics such as assessment, grief and loss, effective workplaces, conflict resolution, behavioural disorders, high conflict divorce, school violence, stress management, ethics, running a private practice and expert witness testimony.
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. We are excited to honour Dr. Carter's continuous AFCC involvement.
JANE HOFFMAN, Lawyer
Address to Chapter: February 8, 2023
Chaper Contributions:
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Endorsed creation & provisional chapter status of AFCC Alberta Chapter Status (2012)
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Member of AFCC Steering Committee, Alberta Chapter Creation (2013)
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Treasurer and AFCC Alberta Chapter Board Member, 2014 - 2020
Jane has a broad-based Family Law practice. Her experience includes challenging Hague and Mobility cases, as well as Trial and Appeal work, in all areas of Family Law. Jane practice includes litigation and representation of clients in negotiated, mediated, and arbitrated settlements. Jane graduated from the University of Cape Town in South Africa in 1981 and was admitted to the Supreme Court of South Africa as an Attorney in 1985, with a practice in criminal, family, and insurance law, as well as volunteering her services as a member of Lawyers for Democratic Rights in Cape Town.
She immigrated to Canada in 1986, first to Saskatchewan and later to Calgary, taking a break from her legal practice to focus on her family. After completing her UCC requirements in Alberta, she articled with the Crown Prosecutor’s office in Calgary and was called to the Alberta Bar in 1996. Since then, she has practiced exclusively in Family Law.
Jane held an executive position on the Alberta Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) from 2014 to 2019, having been part of the steering committee that formed the Chapter.
NOTEWORTHY DECISIONS
Jane has successfully argued in the Provincial Court of Alberta, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, the Alberta Court of Appeal, and the Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench. Noteworthy decisions include the following:
Dr. Larry Fong
Address to Chapter: August 10, 2022
Chaper Contributions:
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AFCC Alberta Chapter Member since inception
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Endorsed creation & provisional chapter status of AFCC Alberta Chapter Status (2012)
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Chapter member, 8 years
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Contributed to the Chapter's Parenting Coordination Working Group
Dr. Larry Fong, is a Registered Psychologist (1982), a Member of the Canadian Psychological Association, an Associate Member of the American Psychological Association, and listed with the Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.
Dr. Fong’s 20+ years international consulting practice spans the areas of business, legal and personal consultation. Dr. Fong has a permanent teachers certificate, and has taught at all grade levels. He was Supervisor in both Family Court Services (Provincial Court of Alberta) and Child Welfare. As a psychologist his awareness of the complexities of child custody, parenting issues or access problems within the context of a psycho-legal arena have resulted in his being called, on at least 300 occasions, to the Court of Queen’s Bench (Alberta, Saskatchewan), and The Provincial Court of Alberta (Family & Youth; Criminal Division) as an expert witness in these matters. The Judiciary has called upon him to provide his professional skills as a mediator and arbitrator. He has also taught mediation and arbitration worldwide.
As a leading international mediator and trainer, he has consulted in 13 different countries as well as appearing on international television and radio. He has produced training tapes in the field of mediation worldwide. His leadership skills are noted by his appointments as a Past- President of the Alberta Family Mediation Society, Family Mediation Canada, the Psychologists Association of Alberta and the College of Alberta Psychologists. He was the first Canadian International President of the Academy of Family Mediators (USA). In addition he was a founding member of the newly merged Association for Conflict Resolution and was a board member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Dr. Fong wasthe President Elect of The Association for Conflict Resolution (2004).
Selection Process
Specific professionals to be considered for Distinguished Member status may be put forward by the AFCC Alberta board and the AFCC Alberta Programming Committee. Final selections of Distinguished Member nominees will be made annually by the AFCC Alberta Programming Committee, in accordance with the selection criteria.
Members are selected on the basis of:
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Outstanding contributions to the Alberta legal and/or mental health fields, particularly as relates to the resolution of family conflict; AND
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Outstanding contributions to AFCC Alberta and the international AFCC community.
Nominee Obligations
Distinguished Member nominees will present a webinar to the AFCC Alberta community, on a topic or topics of their choosing. The nominee will impart their own perspectives regarding the subject matter to the community.
Distinguished Members’ webinars will be recorded for posterity, and be made available for viewing online on a separate webpage of the AFCC Alberta website, accessible to AFCC Alberta members only.
Nominees May Include
Members of the Judiciary
Lawyers
Court Commissioners
Court Administrators
Researchers
Academics
Financial Professionals
Psychologists
Social Workers
Psychiatrists
Counselors
Mediators
Custody Evaluators
Parenting Coordinators