2024-2025 Year in Review: Teaching, programs & student life
In the 2024-2025 academic year, FIFSW continued its efforts to build innovative programs and a more supportive student environment. Here’s a look at some of the initiatives the Faculty implemented this past year.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, FIFSW welcomed three new members to its faculty. Read our Q&As introducing Amar Ghelani and Carolyn Mak, both Assistant Professors, Teaching Stream; and Tin D. Vo, Assistant Professor CLTA.
Introducing Julie Ann Shepard, Coordinator, ITR
On December 9, FIFSW was thrilled to welcome Julie Ann Shepard as its new Coordinator of the Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency (ITR) field of study. A creative spirit with a strong passion for art, music, activism, and travel, Julie Ann is of mixed heritage, including Mi’kmaw and settler (French, English, Irish, and African), and holds both an Honours Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto. She has held various positions at U of T, including Coordinator of Aboriginal Initiatives, where she supported the University’s commitment to reconciliation, and Coordinator of Academic Supports at First Nations House – Indigenous Student Services, where she helped Indigenous students at U of T thrive. Read more about Julie Ann and FIFSW’s ITR program.
FIFSW’s teaching awards recognize excellence in teaching and contributions to the Faculty’s educational programs through curriculum development, innovation, and research on education. Nominations for these awards can be made by students, alumni, and faculty members. Nominations are reviewed by the Teaching Award Review Committee chaired by the Associate Dean Academic.
For the 2024-2025 academic year, FIFSW is thrilled to recognize the following professors:
FIFSW Supervision Excellence Award
Professor Shelley Craig
FIFSW Teaching Excellence Award
Professor Micheal Shier
This winter, Master of Social Work students had the opportunity to participate in a virtual reality (VR) simulation focused on responding to opioid overdoses.
“Even though social workers play a prominent role in services designed to support people with opioid use disorders and mental health concerns, research shows that many students and clinicians don’t receive adequate training to respond to an overdose,” says Amar Ghelani, who joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work as an assistant professor in 2024.
To address this gap in training, Ghelani added a VR training tool developed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to a course he teaches on the advanced social work practice in mental health. Through his teaching and research, he aims to build on the Faculty’s international leadership in simulation-based learning by expanding the simulation options for students to practice social work skills.
SWK4639: Special Topics in Child & Family Social Work: School Social Work was introduced to Year 2 and Advanced Standing MSW students, taught by Sessional Lecturer Tracey Grose. The new course focuses on social work in school settings, a specialized area of social work that examines the psychosocial functioning of students to promote and maintain their health and well-being while helping them access their academic potential.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, the Associate Dean, Academic’s Office hosted three professional skills development lunch n’ learns for Master of Social Work students, including:
- Unlock Your Potential: led by Sandy Rao, who discussed practical tools and strategies for thriving in graduate studies without sacrificing your wellbeing.
- Stress Management: led by Ruth C. White, who shared ways to reduce stress and burn out while working in health and social services.
- “I Have My MSW, Now What? Led by Lorie Shekter-Wolfson, who provided students with insight into life after school and tools to take beyond the classroom.
Practicum: by the numbers
250: Number of practicum partners
587: Number of field instructors matched with a student
10: Number of Professional Development Sessions for field instructors
53: Number of ITR field instructors
34: Number of ITR partners
6: Information sessions for students
8: Faculty Field Liaison (FFL) group meetings2024-2025 events
Left to right: Farai Gore, Delta Family Resource Centre; and Kerr Harvey, Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO)
- A day in the life of a social worker
- Panel: Becoming a Field instructor
Bertha Rosenstadt Trust Fund
Left to right: Brian Hodges, VP, UHN; Eileen McKee, Assistant Dean, Field Education, FIFSW; Jessica Gilbert, Field Education Coordinator; Mandy Lowe, Senior Director, Clinical Education, UHN (now retired); Lindsay TK, Field Education Coordinators; Jan Newton, VP, UHN; Charmaine Williams, Dean, FIFSW.
Established in 2015 to celebrate FIFSW’s 100th anniversary, the Bertha Rosenstadt Trust Fund in Health Research provides funding for organizations to engage in research in consultation with FIFSW that expands social work field education knowledge and capacity.
In November, FIFSW was pleased to award the University Health Network (UHN) with a grant in support of field education research.
Reflections on the first year of practicum
“As I reflect on the goals set in my learning contract, I am impressed by the way I now understand the scope of social work competencies. By the end of my placement, I was able to independently meet patients from assessment to discharge, often mediating families and navigating care with the inter-professional team.”
— Emily Devita, year 1 MSW student
Judy Chau, Hailey Lawrence, and Alexandra Ouellette Zuk
Practicum is where students put their education into practice and learn from real-world experience. Each practicum setting — whether it is at a hospital, a school, a community agency, a government organization, or elsewhere — provides students with the opportunity to develop the professional competencies needed to enter the field after graduation. This year, FIFSW asked some of its students to share how their practicum has deepened their learning in a thank you video that was shared with field instructors during Social Work Week in March. Thank you to Master of Social Work students Judy Chau, Hailey Lawrence, and Alexandra Ouellette Zuk for participating in our video!
Launched in 2021 by the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, and led by Professor Lin Fang, the Talk It Out Counselling Clinic is a dynamic mental health hub where trained MSW students provide free, culturally responsive counselling and lead impactful, community-based initiatives tailored to the needs of underserved populations.
Since then, the Clinic has trained 56 MSW students and served over 1,800 individuals. This includes counselling services to over 400 individuals referred by 19 community partners across the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in-person wellness workshops and programs to over 1,400 community residents.“[My counsellor] made me feel safe and understood. I am forever grateful for her help and expertise. With her help I was able to greatly improve on an emotional and mental level. She gave me the tools necessary to assist me through difficult times.” — Talk It Out client
Talk It Out continued to make significant progress in the 2024-2025 academic year.
- 115 clients received counselling
- 545 counselling sessions delivered
- 13% increase in referrals
- 31% decrease in clients who initially met the anxiety cut off, as measured by the General Anxiety Disorder-2 Questionnaire (GAD-2)
- 35% decrease in clients who initially met the depression cut-off, as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2)
- 97% of clients reported satisfaction with services
- 38 community sessions were delivered in partnership with 7 community partner agencies reaching approximately 200 community residents.
- 45 participants served through workshops on topics such as substance use stigma, mental health in the winter, and stress management.
- 4 events focused on Black men’s health, serving 100+ participants
“[My counsellor] made me feel safe and understood. I am forever grateful for her help and expertise. With her help I was able to greatly improve on an emotional and mental level. She gave me the tools necessary to assist me through difficult times.” — Talk It Out client
Left to right: Hanna Ali (MSW student), Zen Kapadia (KPE student), FIFSW Professor Lin Fang, Robia Mohammadi (MSW student), and Prerna Sharma (MSW student).
Talk It Out, Work It Out
Talk It Out, Work It Out combines psychoeducation and physical activity in group workshops that span multiple sessions to help older adults improve their mental, physical, and social wellbeing. The innovative program is a joint initiative of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and U of T’s Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education.
Read about Talk It Out Work It Out’s partnership with Baycrest.
In 2024-2025, Talk It Out, Work It Out ran 31 sessions, serving over 60 older adults, covering topics such as pain management, building meaningful social connections, and life transitions. Talk It Out also welcomed two additional community partners this past year: the Labour Education Centre and the Malvern Family Resource Centre.
“I want to repeat this program [Talk It Out, Work It Out] as the instructors were lovely and I enjoyed it very much and learnt a lot. I will be back.” — Talk It Out, Work It Out participant
Every year, FIFSW’s Student Services and Registrar’s Office offers resources and activities to facilitate students’ journey through the program and help them build stronger relationships with their classmates as well as professors and staff. Below are some of the ways we worked to bring students together in the 2024-2025 academic year.
Orientation and Introduction to Social Work Conference
On September 4th and 5th, FIFSW hosted orientation sessions, an Introduction to Social Work Conference and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) workshop for new students. FIFSW ambassadors ad representatives form the Graduate Student Association were on hand to welcome new Master of Social Work students at Tartu College, just down the street from FIFSW’s building. The events gave new students the opportunity to not only learn important details about their program and resources at FIFSW, but also meet their classmates and begin the process of building relationships.
FIFSW Ambassadors
The MSW Ambassador Program was back in action this year, helping new and prospective students connect with their second-year peers. Through the PeerPal platform, prospective students could chat directly with current students about FIFSW’s programs and their personal experiences. Ambassadors also supported events such as course info sessions, campus tours, and a cultural scavenger hunt. Plus, they kept everyone in the loop by sharing information about events and opportunities across campus and beyond on FIFSW Connect, a private online hub for FIFSW students, faculty, and staff.
Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice celebration, held in the student lounge on December 3, offered students a chance to reflect on the fall semester, celebrate the start of winter and the upcoming holiday break, and prepare for the new term ahead. Attendees enjoyed Persian food as part of the festivities.
Welcome Back Treats
Students were welcome back to school after long breaks, like reading week and the winter holidays, with coffee and snacks and a warm welcome from staff. These events helped energize students and offered them an opportunity to connect with peers before heading to the classroom.
Therapy dogs
FIFSW welcomed Sunshine Therapy Dogs to its building for four drop-in sessions over the course of the academic year, giving students a chance to unwind with some furry friends. These visits offered students a calming break and an emotional boost in the midst of busy semesters.
International students year-end party
All international MSW and PhD students were invited to a gathering on April 9, ahead of the university’s summer break. The event, organized by the Student Services and Registrar’s Office Office, featured Asian food, friendly games, and space for students to share their experiences at FIFSW. Each student shared their top three moments from their time studying in Canada, adding a personal, emotional, and motivating touch to the gathering.
Healing Connections Hike
On October 2, FIFSW students, faculty and staff joined alumna Sajedeh Zahraei on a Healing Connections Hike across U of T’s campus and beyond. A graduate of FIFSW’s MSW and PhD programs, Zahraei is a Certified Hike Leader, Psychotherapist, and Founder of Saleemeh Wellness Centre for Women. (Read our 2022 story on how Zahraei has worked to improve mental health support for immigrant, refugee and racialized women.) The hike led by Zahraei offered participants the opportunity to reflect on and share stories of Indigenous, Black, and Immigrant histories of Tkaronto (Toronto), while deepening connections to the community, the land — and each other.
Noah Yan
As a teacher at an elite high school in his home country of China, Noah Yan noticed that many of his students were struggling with mental health issues and other personal concerns, despite excelling academically. He became a confidante and resource, but wanted to do more to support their wellbeing. Now, with a Master of Social Work degree, the spring 2025 graduate is prepared to do just that.
Agnes Ndukwu Nambalirwa
In her native Uganda, Agnes Ndukwu Nambalirwa saw the traumatic effects that colonialism and conflict had on her people. While their strength inspired her, she always felt they needed better support. As a new graduate of the Master of Social Work – Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency (ITR) program, Nambalirwa is now equipped to help provide the healing she’s long believed her community deserves.
Folashade Kortee
When Folashade Kortee discovered just how much her wellbeing increased when she connected to her roots and culture, she became passionate about giving other young people the same opportunity. The Master of Social Work – Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency (ITR) program gave her the skills and knowledge she needed, and today the new graduate is doing exactly what she set out to do.
Student Leadership Award Winners
Katrin Doll, Heba Khan, and Zahra Wells each received a University of Toronto’s 2025 Student Leadership Award, given to those who demonstrate outstanding student leadership, volunteer service and commitment to the university.
Jessica Hsieh
PhD student Jessica Hsieh was shortlisted for a BIPOC TA Teaching Excellence Award, which recognizes the outstanding contributions of teaching assistants at the University of Toronto who regularly inspire and challenge undergraduate students.
Elo Igor
After graduating with her Master of Social Work, Elo Igor (MSW 2019) served as a case worker at a non-profit organization, supporting young people in correctional facilities on firearm-related charges as they transitioned back to the community. Igor is now pursuing her PhD in social work, researching access to school-based mental health services for Black youth who have been exposed to community violence. She is also a project coordinator for the Centre for Research and Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Vicitms (The CRIB), where she helps advance collaborative and culturally responsive research, policy and practice.
Did you know?
In the 2024-2025 academic year, 237 students benefitted from scholarships and awards funded in whole or part by our generous donors, whose gifts totalled $1.16 million.