Donna M. Soules

Following her certification in Conflict Resolution from the Justice Institute (Vancouver) in 1993, Donna Soules founded Soules Consulting Ltd. to bring the benefits of mediation to both organizations and families. She has a Master's Degree in Conflict Resolution from Antioch University (Ohio). She has been a member of the Attorney General's Mediation Roster since 1998. Together with her mediation training and extensive counseling experience, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the challenges of dispute resolution.

A senior trainer for the Justice Institute of BC, Donna also instructed in the Criminology Department at Vancouver Island University to supplement her private practice as a mediator, trainer, and facilitator.

Training at Arica Institute (1972-2001) in NYC provided Donna with group process and teamwork development skills to assist people in workplace, organizational, and non-profit areas where mediation is used to resolve conflicts.

During her five years at Five Acres Alternate School (Nanaimo) as a counselor, she developed a restorative justice program with the students and teachers to resolve school-based issues.

First Nations groups have requested her support for training and mediating workplace issues, as well as working with families to resolve conflicts. She has facilitated workshops for students of residential schools.

Donna uses a pragmatic approach in her mediation and training sessions: "When the needs and values of people are threatened, they can feel angry and confused. It's normal for conflict to develop when stress and change are facts of life." She remains committed to the belief that skill development can be used to resolve differences in a "supportive and practical manner." She values, above all else, respect for a confidential and safe environment for learning or conflict resolution.

In 2019, Donna published Understanding Conflict: Bridging Theory and Practice, a manual for instructors, available from Amazon. In 2026, she is completing a follow-up publication called Defensiveness and Conflict.

In 2024, in recognition of her many career accomplishments, Donna was awarded the Susanna Jani Award for Excellence in Mediation by Mediate BC Society.