Toula Kourgiantakis

• mental health and addictions
• family focused practices
• youth mental health
• cannabis use in youth
• equity and access to mental health care
• social work education
• simulation-based learning
• clinical social work practice

Toula Kourgiantakis completed her Ph.D. at Université Laval and joined the faculty in 2016 as an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. She has more than 25 years of clinical experience as a social worker, family therapist, and supervisor in different sectors including child welfare, schools, hospitals, and community agencies.  She continues to work with families in private practice and she also provides supervision and consultation to professionals and agencies.

Her specific areas of research focus on (1) family-focused practices in mental health and addictions, (2) youth mental health, (3) cannabis use and mental health in youth and young adults, (4) equity and access to quality mental healthcare for youth and families, and (5) strengthening social work education and practice. Dr. Kourgiantakis is currently PI on a SSHRC funded study (2021-23) titled “Examining Cannabis Use and Mental Health Concerns in Youth from the Perspectives of Youth, Parents, and Service Providers: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach,” in partnership with Families for Addiction Recovery (FAR). She is also PI on another SSHRC funded study (2022-24) titled, “A Critical Exploration of Youth Suicide and Systems of Care: Understanding Perspectives of Parents and Caregivers,” and leading an internally funded study focused on “Understanding Clinical Social Work Practice in Ontario: Toward a Stronger Social Justice Orientation in the Profession” (2022-23).

Dr. Kourgiantakis has an exceptional commitment to student learning and she developed Practice Fridays in 2015 which is an innovative simulation-based learning method that prepares students for social work practice. She also developed the Advanced Standing Practice Seminar in 2016 to enhance clinical competencies in Advanced Standing students. Dr. Kourgiantakis has been the recipient of several teaching awards including the University of Toronto Teaching Fellowship (2018), the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work Teaching Award (2018), and the 2019 University of Toronto Early Career Teaching Award which recognizes pedagogical engagement and teaching innovation.

Dr. Kourgiantakis is dedicated to promoting and strengthening the social work profession and she has served on the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers as a Council member from 2017 -2021, and President from 2020-21. She is currently a member of the Commission on Educational Policy (COEP) for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Dr. Kourgiantakis is the Coordinator for the Health and Mental Health Field of Study and she is teaching the following MSW courses in 2022-23: Social Work Practice in Mental Health (SWK 4604, Course Coordinator, fall 2022) and Family-Centred Practices in Addictions and Mental Health (SWK 4647, spring 2023). She is also teaching the PhD course, Theory and Practice of Teaching Social Work (SWK 6006) in fall 2022. In summer 2023, Dr. Kourgiantakis will teach an undergraduate psychology course titled Global Mental Health (PSY30670) in Greece through the University of Toronto Summer Abroad program.