Staff Biographies

Tod Augusta-Scott, MSW is known internationally for his work with domestic violence and narrative therapy. Since 1994, he has been the coordinator of Bridges – a domestic violence counselling, research and training institute in Nova Scotia, Canada. His work is primarily influenced by feminism, post-modernism and narrative therapy. He has taught in the Social Work Department, Dalhousie University and continues to be a guest speaker in the Department on a regular basis. Tod is on faculty at the Hincks Dellcrest International Training centre in Toronto.

Tod has presented his work in every province in Canada. In Nova Scotia, Tod conducts the domestic violence training for all the new Child Protection workers in the Province. His group manual for working with men who abuse has been adopted as the official manual of the Departments of Justice in both New Brunswick and Newfoundland. He has also conducted training for Eastern Health (Department of Health and Community Services), Newfoundland to establish community-based domestic violence groups throughout the province. He also works nationally as a consultant to the Canadian Forces on the issue of domestic violence. Tod has co-developed the Canadian Domestic Violence Conference (Toronto) and the Winds of Change Therapy Conference (Halifax), which are produced every two years. He has been interviewed by Home Maker Magazine, Readers Digest, Journal of Systemic Therapies, and the International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work.

Marilee Burwash-Brennan, MSW has been a social worker for the last twenty years. She had worked in a women’s shelter for ten years and then became a family therapist addressing issues of domestic violence, sexual abuse, and childhood trauma. She has also worked extensively with groups addressing these issues. Her work has been influenced by feminism and narrative therapy.

Jane Donovan, MEd, RCT, has worked in the counseling field for a number of years. She also has extensive experience in fine arts which she integrates into her therapeutic conversations. The focus of her work is to create possibilities for men and their families to move away from abuse and build respectful relationships.

Penny Gill, MSW RSW, began working at Bridges in 2007. She also works at Mental Health with children and families and has done so for the last several years. She has experience working with individual, group, and community dealing with a variety of issues. Penny has an interest in working with youth and violence. Her work has been influenced by narrative, structural, and feminist practice.

Leland Maerz has spent many years travelling and working internationally as an educator and counsellor. He specializes in working therapeutically with youth at risk and with adults seeking to build healthier and safer relationships. Leland's work is most influenced by post-structualism. His current research focuses on how narrative conversations can influence indivduals and communities' belief systems and spirituality.

Brenda Fisher is our office manager. She has a certificate in Office Information Technology and has worked with both not-for-profit and profit organizations. She also has extensive experience in community development and is committed to supporting issues of social justice.