Jack has had the honor of serving the people of Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia for many years. He graduated with an MSW degree from Carleton University in 1992. His guiding principles from the beginning have included respect for the dignity and worth of each person and contributing to the community with kindness, humility, and wisdom. He has worked with the Inpatient Service of the Nova Scotia Hospital and has been a member of the ethics committee there.
In 1995, he accepted the challenge of being part of the amalgamation of several facilities serving the mental health needs of children and adolescents into one service managed by the IWK Hospital for Children and Families and he served in the day treatment and inpatient programs there. Jack was then asked to be part of the transformation of the Provincial Forensic Psychiatry Service from an assessment and custodial program to a psychiatric rehabilitation model and he played a valued role in this transition. The emergence of the East Coast Forensic Hospital in 2001 allowed Jack to engage in assessment, advocacy, and community reintegration , which included development of province-wide policies and guidelines for the discharge of forensic clients through participation in negotiations with the provincial government.
His greatest challenge of all continues to be community frontline work as a member of the Dartmouth Community Mental Health and Addictions team (Nova Scotia Health). In this role, clinical social work practice collides daily with marginalization and increasingly harsh societal inequities. He finds his patients to be profoundly resilient and inspiring. His practice includes clinical supervision and mentoring, liaison with many community organizations, and testimony in family and criminal court matters.
The NSCSW Board of Examiners has benefited from 12 years of Jack’s generous service and leadership, which culminated in his chairing the Board for two years until his final term ended in 2024. Jack’s work with the NSCSW has been rooted in a love for the profession which has provided a home for his heart and his skills, and there is much he still wants to contribute.