Joanne Roulston
Faculty Liaison / Contract Instructor
- BA (Carleton), BSW (Lakehead), Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution (Carleton), MSW (Carleton), JD (Ottawa)
- Email Joanne Roulston
Joanne Roulston is a bilingual lawyer, registered social worker, and accredited mediator whose work integrates family law, social policy, and program evaluation. She teaches in the School of Social Work at Carleton University, including practicum and advanced seminars, and brings a practice-based perspective grounded in both legal and institutional experience.
Her areas of focus include coercive and controlling behaviour in intimate relationships, family law, income security, and the evaluation of complex social programs. Her work examines how risk, credibility, and institutional response shape outcomes for individuals navigating family violence and state systems.
Roulston is Co-Chair of the Expert Panel on Income Security at the Council on Aging of Ottawa, a multidisciplinary group advising on pensions, poverty, and income supports for older adults.
She previously served as Director of the National Council of Welfare, where she advised on federal income security policy and contributed to national discussions on poverty and inequality. She has provided expert analysis to parliamentary processes and international bodies, including the OECD, and has worked extensively in audit and evaluation roles within the federal government.
In her legal practice, she focuses on family law, with particular attention to cases involving coercive control and complex parenting dynamics. She practices in both English and French. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges legal doctrine, social work practice, and empirical research. Her writing spans law, policy, and culture, including essays on language, inheritance, and identity such as “Catch Yourself On: The Inheritance of Lowland Humour,” published in The Honest Ulsterman.