Colleen O’Brien trained as a Practical Nurse in 1974 starting her career working in Mental Health in-patient and out-patient counselling.
Additional Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a specialty in disability case management, addiction and rehabilitation from the University of Western Ontario
- Human Resources Management Certificate
- Career Development Practitioner with certification in all level B, standardized vocational tests
- Certification as a Divorce Coach
Colleen has been working as a Vocational Specialist since 1987, providing career transition services and employability assessments in both the public and private sectors.
Since starting private practice in 2008, Colleen’s focus was initially in Personal Injury conducting vocational assessments and supporting realistic career transitions for accident victims.
In the past 5 years her passion has turned to Family Law, pioneering vocational services as part of the Divorce process. Her Employability Assessment provides evidence about the non-earning spouse’s employability and income potential that can assist in determining fair spousal support, as well as helping the non-earning spouse to prepare to go back to work.
Additional services include:
a) Divorce preparation workshop (Ready, Set, Go thru Divorce), by preparing the client with the basics their Lawyer needs to start the “business of the Divorce.”
b) Divorce Coaching to assist men and women to get through the process of their divorce as their best self and come out on the other side with their life and dignity intact.
c) In-depth workshop on how to how to create a healthy happy life after divorce; the kind of life they want to wake up for.
Angels Endorsement
Colleen is no stranger to having to make changes in her life personally and professionally, affectionately dubbing herself the “Queen of Transition”.
Her own transitions began in her early teens and followed her into adulthood, impacting all aspects of her life.
Recognizing some changes were easier than others, she fully understands the emotional impact of having to adjust and adapt to new situations and has focused her entire career on assisting individuals through the various traumatic transitions in their lives.
While she didn’t grow up with the burning desire to become a Divorce Coach and an Employability Specialist, her life is very much connected to her career. She grew up with parents who should have divorced but didn’t.
That emotional turmoil set the stage for how she chose to handle her own separation and divorce. She knew she wanted the transition to be as easy as possible for her kids and yes, herself, so she did what she could to make that happen. Since then she has seen others going through horrific divorces and believes that if she did it, she could help others find a smoother path.
Colleen’s practical approach and strong problem solving skills enable her to be able to establish more fairness for both parties.
