THE ASSOCIATION'S BOARD

The current serving Board of ASFA is:

President — Dion Sing (QLD)

Dion Sing is a well-respected leader. With over a decade of research, practical application, and leadership experience, he has developed a Solution-Focused approach that helps individuals, teams, and organisations navigate complex challenges with clarity, confidence, and impact.

Holding a Diploma of Community Services, Dion has led diverse community service programs and worked extensively within Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. Throughout his career, he has been recognised for his values-driven leadership, his ability to build strong, high-performing teams in demanding environments, and his commitment to fostering positive, lasting change.

As a consultant, trainer, and leadership coach, Dion supports individuals and organisations in enhancing leadership capability, strengthening supervision practices, and designing effective programs and systems. His expertise lies in equipping leaders with practical, solution-focused strategies that drive growth, accountability, and resilience.

A dedicated researcher and lifelong learner, Dion continues to refine and evolve his approach. He is also the author of The Solution-Focused Supervision Handbook, a valuable resource for leaders looking to improve their supervision and coaching skills.

Through his work, Dion is committed to advancing the Solution-Focused approach, fostering a collaborative and thriving professional community, and helping organisations create cultures of trust, innovation, and long-term success.

Currently Dion lives on a sail boat on the QLD coast with his wife and two young children.

Vice-President (New Zealand) — Emma Burns

Emma has been a registered psychologist since 1996 and has worked in a variety of settings including acute mental health, critical incident response, youth at risk, education, and suicide postvention.

Since 2010 Emma has been employed by New Zealand Police, initially working with young offenders, then moving into family harm intervention in 2018. She held a role as Psychology Advisor for the Eastern District during which time she developed a highly successful programme engaging with offenders in the cells. This work was published in the Police Science Journal in 2021.

In 2023 Emma commenced in her current role of Senior Advisor Organisational Development for New Zealand Police. She is leading the development of the National Coaching Framework and contributes to several projects across the organisation including delivering suicide prevention training to police recruits.

Emma is the Founder and Director of Connecting with Hope, her private business, and collaborates with David Hains in their shared enterprise The Possibilities Lab. She has published chapters in three recently released books - The Solution Focused Approach with Children and Young People (2020), Women's Perspectives on the Solution Focused Approach (2024) and the upcoming Solution Focused Practice and Mental Health Crisis (2025).

Outside work, Emma is a competitive swimmer, the proud mother of four children and a grandmother-to-be.

Vice-President (Aust) — Jason Pascoe (NSW)       

Jason Pascoe is the Director, The Enactive Solution PTY LTD

He holds a Graduate Diploma in Coaching Psychology from the University of East London, UK, and a Solution-Focused Business Professional Certificate from the University of Wisconsin. His academic background encompasses degrees in health sciences, education, and leadership, including a Bachelor of Health Science in Human Movement, a Graduate Diploma in Health Promotion, and a Graduate Diploma in Education. He is also a Senior Practitioner with the European Coaching and Mentoring Council.

Jason brings over 20 years of experience in coaching, leadership development, and strategic facilitation. He has supported professionals throughout Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UK. He has coached and facilitated learning for over 30,000 professionals, including senior leaders in education, corporate, and government sectors. His expertise covers executive coaching, leadership development, strategic planning, and program design, with an emphasis on strengthening coaching cultures and enhancing leadership effectiveness.

Throughout his career, Jason has led significant coaching initiatives for organisations such as the NSW Department of Education, the Queensland Educational Leadership Institute, and multinational corporations. He has facilitated the integration of coaching methodologies into leadership and organisational practices.  Jason has been an Australasian Solution-Focused Association (ASFA) member since 2014. He supports the practical application of Solution-Focused Practice (SFP) in leadership, coaching, and organisational change. As the Vice President of Australia, he is dedicated to increasing access to SFP training and development, promoting the integration of research and practice, and assisting leaders in applying SFP principles to improve team performance and resilience.

Jason’s work with ASFA showcases his commitment to empowering individuals and teams to create meaningful and sustainable change.

Jason joined the ASFA board in 2023.

Secretary — Susan Colmar

Dr Susan Colmar is an Honorary Associate Professor at The University of Sydney, who for 25 years was Program Director of two Masters’ level courses training postgraduate students as school counsellors/school psychologists. She is the author of over ninety publications.  Susan won the Inaugural Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Research Engagement and Impact Award (2019) at The University of Sydney, given to researchers and research teams who have had a significant impact on the world beyond the walls of the University.

Treasurer — John Penny (NSW)

John WAS a School Counsellor, Parramatta Catholic Education, where he was previously Manager of Counselling and Behavioural Programs at Parramatta Catholic Education. John is now officially retired and spends most of his days on the golf course. We greatly appreciate that John has agreed to stay on the Board of ASFA.

Board member  – Kylie Johnson (Cambodia)

Kylie is a long-time SFBT devotee from Australia but based in Cambodia. Kylie works at the intersection of law and psychology in a cross cultural setting, along with providing training and consultancy in Cambodia.

Board member  – Jacqui Van de Velde (NSW)

Jacqui has more than 30 years experience in education, wellbeing, mental health and community engagement  in both a professional and volunteer capacity. She has worked in, and continues to work across, a variety of business, education and community contexts, in Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Singapore, and North America. Jacqui is a trainer, speaker and advocate for parent and family engagement, positive growth outcomes in education, professional learning networks and continuing education in the workplace, wellbeing, veteran health, and advocacy.

Board member  – Kerry Drummond

Kerry is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Registered Supervisor with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) and holds Honours in Psychology (2004) and Masters in Counselling (2011) from Murdoch University (Western Australia).  Kerry joined the ASFA Board in September 2024. 

Based in Perth WA, Kerry is co-founder and co-coordinator of the Western Australian SFBT Interest Group (WASFIG) with her colleague Steve Runciman, Clinical Psychologist.  Together they held the first WASFIG meeting in Perth in person in February 2021.  Thanks to COVID, WASFIG was then moved to Zoom instead and these bi-monthly WASFIG Zoom meetings have drawn SF practitioners from a variety of roles and disciplines ever since.  As WASFIG is now accessible by SF practitioners both within and outside of WA, it is a growing supportive community of SF practitioners in WA and beyond - across Australia, New Zealand and internationally.  WASFIG members also have an opportunity to connect, share resources and ask questions to better understand SFBT via the WASFIG Facebook page between meetings. Steve and Kerry also provide SFBT training workshops in Perth.  Kerry provides specialised SFBT Skills Practice and Supervision Groups online as well as individual SF supervision for practitioners looking to build their confidence in supporting their clients from the SFBT approach. Kerry currently works part time for an Employee Assistance Program provider supporting clients with a variety of work or personal concerns, and has been in her private practice, Invictus Counselling Service, since 2013 working to support individuals, couples and adolescents. For more information about Kerry and her SFBT approach and services offered please see her website: www.invictuscounsellingservice.com.au

Kerry discovered SFBT in 2019 and has trained with the Solution Focused Universe (SFU) in the USA, BRIEF London in the UK and a range of other SFBT leaders in the field including Michael Durrant (Sydney), Jacqui von Cziffra-Bergs (South Africa) and Mark McKergow (Scotland).  Kerry regularly completes ongoing SFBT training to increase her knowledge of the professional literature to continually develop and enrich her SFBT practice.  Kerry is currently completing the Diamond Certification Level 2 and 3 with the SFU, and is pleased to be part of a group of SF practitioners who are Beta-Testers for the SFU’s SF Client AI program, the first of its kind in the world. This SFBT practitioner training AI program enables SF practitioners to sharpen their skills and build fluency in SF language by asking SF questions in session with an AI Client. Kerry regularly engages in clinical supervision with multiple supervisors, including specialised SFBT supervision and consultation with Evan George of BRIEF London and Anna Francis of the SFU.

Kerry’s Best Hopes for ASFA and WASFIG are:

• to inspire other practitioners as she has been inspired by SFBT;
• to increase practitioner confidence and fulfilment in session by being able to turn this into a transformative and useful experience for clients regardless of their problem and invite clients find a pathway forward to possibility by amplifying their strength amidst adversity; and
• to build practitioner’s vicarious resilience to better cope with vicarious trauma to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue by listening for and being inspired by their client’s motivational stories of overcoming hardship by tapping into their resilient version of self who was already there.

Board member  – Cathy Martin 

Cathy Martin graduated from Social Work in the mid 1980’s, after studying at James Cook University in Townsville and University of Melbourne. She completed a post-graduate Master of Bioethics degree at Monash University in 1997 under the tutelage of well known philosopher and ethicist Professor Peter Singer.    

Cathy retired in 2023, having worked for 38 years in the Australian medical social work field at two of Australia’s largest tertiary hospitals, with focus on dialysis and kidney transplantation, liver transplantation, gastroenterology/hepatology and on-call emergency.  She has also worked for community health in the UK, in the Australian TAFE sector and as a senior counsellor at several national organisations including Relationships Australia.  

Long term team leadership, teaching and supervision; committee membership involving numerous and diverse stakeholders; psychosocial assessment, therapeutic and discharge planning work relevant to individuals, couples, families and groups; and knowledge about topical issues, policies and resources; strongly featured throughout her career. 

Cathy has been a member of the Queensland (Qld) Health Metro South Clinical Ethics Committee since its inception in 2010, including Chairperson for the last 5 years. She has participated with organising Transplant Nurses’ Association national conferences for 20 years and has led the development of Qld Health websites for kidney and liver transplant support and education. Cathy had a transplant journal article published titled "Helping when all seems hopeless: the inspiration of a solution-focused approach (2021)" highlighting the relevancy and applicability of the solution-focused approach (SFA) in transplantation. 

Cathy has undertaken SFA training in Australia, UK and USA. She has been a member and regular conference attendee of the Australasian Solution Focused Association (ASFA) since it began in 2013 and has embraced SFA for 15 years, as it strongly aligns with social work values and consistently provides a logical pathway in organisational and clinical contexts. Cathy is committed to the bio psychosocial outcomes that SFA can deliver to all communities.  

Cathy joined the board in September 2024

Board member  – Andrea Lemm (NZ)

Andrea is a social worker based in Dunedin, New Zealand. She has been working in statutory Child Protection over the past 20 years in England and in Aotearoa, New Zealand.  Andrea is passionate about bi-cultural practice and how best to integrate Western Eurocentric models of practice like the solution focused approach with Māori practices, principles and values.  Andrea has started a SF practitioner group in Dunedin in 2017 and she has been on the ASFA board since 2017.  You can read more about Andrea here.

Board member  – Matt Cameron (NZ)

Matt Cameron lives in Timaru, New Zealand and is a counsellor, teacher, and tennis referee. He also enjoys being a home handyman, building or fixing things. He is a Christian and married with two boys in their early 20's. He enjoys various sports and has played competitive tennis, badminton, soccer, rugby and most recently fistball - being selected to play in the NZ masters team (you can google “fistball” ;-). He has been working in South Canterbury as the a Grief and Loss Coordinator since 2012 and has been applying the Solution Focused approach to his work since 2016 and began to offer training workshops in the approach in 2020.