Family Mediation and Counselling Services Toronto

Joan Sinclair worked with my ex-husband and I through a very difficult and emotional time. I felt she was fair and compassionate - even though at times, the situation made me very angry. She helped me see my way clear to an understanding that could work for both of us, and our children. After watching other friends go through separation and divorce, and see how in many cases the process could take so long and be so expensive, I am so very grateful that we had Joan to work with. We were able to do our whole agreement without lawyers til they had to paper it.

I do not recommend at all!First off, no fee schedule was shared in advance of appt. After my first appointment I repeatedly asked for an invoice. None was provided. I booked a follow up appt with my spouse.The follow up appt was a disaster. None of the things mentionned at my first “intake” appt were remembered. In fact, I got the impression that she had not taken any notes let alone reviewed them ahead of this second appt. My spouse’s 30 min intake was wasted chit chatting.Our actual hour long meeting was completely useless. None of the context of our separation was discussed. None of our ideals for co-parenting were asked about. Instead, a bunch of random cookie cutter solutions were thrown our way when we had already figured the kind of gradual parenting plan we wanted.These suggestions along with an emphasis on completing legal forms for separation of assets ahead of establishing any context led to MORE CONFLICT not less as it led both of us into thinking the other was being screwed somehow (even though we were not).I found that there was no plan or structure to our mediation and that plus the fact my entire intake (that was only 30 minutes) was forgotten gave me the overall impression she was winging it.After that meeting, we decided to change mediators but to be polite told her it was due to her location. She then allowed my spouse, who had been convinced in our meeting he was being screwed over somehow, to book a secret meeting behind my back with her without notifying me of this up until an hour before! Even though I had sent an email stating a week in advance we were done.She then sent a bill charging for 3 hours of mediation at $250 an hour!!! This is more than the cost of a lawyer! When I disputed the invoice and pointed out we had in fact only booked 2 hours of appt and that she had never provided an invoice etc asking for her to reduce it she refused. I then elaborated on my reasoning including we were dissatisfied with her service and she still refused.Finally, during my first intake I was asked to wait in the lobby as she was running late. A couple who was clearly leaving from a session with her came out in tears sounding very stressed and confused...All I can say is: the lack of transparency for the cost, the lack of really listening to the desired outcomes of the couple and what they want ahead of proposing solutions, the lack of structure and reviewing notes ahead led to a very bad experience and actually caused a lot more conflict than before.At this price you may as well hire a lawyer to mediate! Most social workers do not charge these fees for this service and as mentioned it did not feel at all like an alternative to legal route it felt the same or worse.

Wow! I don't know where Pastiche is coming from. I don't normally write reviews, but I thought it only fair to provide another view of Joan Sinclair as my wife have used her services. We found her very professional. During our sessions, she took notes and sent us her summary afterwards. We were amazed at her attention to detail. She made some suggestions as to how we could move forward. Her ideas were practical. She billed us for her time that we were together. I know she spent more time than was billed - it was obvious she made good notes, because of the details that she sent to us and the fact that she was fully up to date in our subsequent sessions. We would definitely recommend her. Her rates are competitive and she provides a level of sensitivity and conscientiousness that leads to solutions.

Joan Sinclair helped me through a very difficult life transition. Her insights and questions were extremely helpful. Her practice is grounded in sensitivity, experience and respect.

Joan Sinclair is a very caring and compassionate person. She is a great listener and always interested in my family dynamics and is ever helpful in suggesting good alternate approaches to difficult situations. I would highly recommend her to people needing counselling.