2010
Vol 1(2): October 2010
Top Stories
RESEARCH MATTERS AT THE FACULTY
The External Reviewer gave high praise in his recent report to the Faculty’s research activities. “I think it would be fair to say,” noted Bruce Thyer of the College of Social Work at Florida State University in Tallahassee, “that the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work leads Canada with respect to research activities, and all but a handful of programs in the USA.” As associate dean of research, Sheila Neysmith is set on cementing and raising awareness of that strong research agenda.
“Having research front and centre on people’s radar screens,” says Neysmith, “is a visible indication of how serious the Faculty is about doing the kind of research that informs social work practice. U of T is a research-intensive university. We want our students to come away feeling that the people they work with as teachers are indeed leaders in the field.”
For Neysmith, collaboration and community partners are absolutely essential. “One of the roles I play is as a constant reminder both here and in the community that social work doesn’t occur in an ivory tower of one lone researcher, that all of our research has community partners.”
One mission she’s undertaken wholeheartedly is to publicize the international aspects of research at the Faculty. “There’s probably not a single faculty member,” she points out, “who doesn’t work with somebody at a different university in Canada and a goodly number with collaborators in other countries, the United States, China, Thailand, the North Countries, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, India, just to name some of the countries. It’s pretty far-reaching.”
In Neysmith’s own area of research, women and aging, her goal is influencing policy. Her 2005 book, “Telling Tales: Living the Effects of Public Policy” (co-written with Kate Bezanson and Anne O’Connell), conceived as a tool for policymakers, articulated the experiences of individuals confronted by changing social policy.
“In the end,” she says, “research is important for developing knowledge, but it’s the translation that counts. We have to ask: What does this mean for the social work practitioner?”
A STRONG START FOR FIRST YEAR MSW STUDENTS
It was a stimulating start to the academic year for first year MSW students as they immersed themselves in the Introduction to Social Work Conference Sept. 13th and 14th.
For two days, these future social workers-to-be sat in small groups at round tables listening to inspirational and challenging presentations on key concepts and ideas. The tables encouraged conversation and by the second day, the students were getting to know one another.
Speakers included Faculty grad Cheryl Mitri, who described her own remarkable journey to become a social worker and writer Marina Nemat, whose new book, “After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed” was just published.
The conference ended with a powerful dramatic punch, a presentation by actor Don Francks, musician Mighty Popo and playwright Sam Chaiton (co-writer of “Lazarus and The Hurricane”) of a few scenes from Chaiton’s play “The Smoke That Thunders.”
Students sat at rapt attention listening to Chaiton describe how he came to write about an unlikely friendship between two genocide survivors, one a Holocaust victim, the other a victim of Rwanda. The play, which celebrates the idea that we are all alike by moving beyond stereotype and theory, brought social justice issues to life in an authentic, easily understood manner.
It led naturally to the subsequent diversity workshops the students attended run by the Canadian Centre for Diversity (www.centrefordiversity.ca). Students participated in small group exercises which allowed them to explore diversity issues.
What’s Going On
GROWTH SPURTS
The construction crews worked quickly this past July and August at the Faculty adding classroom space to give us a little more breathing – and growing – room.
Given expanding enrolment and increased class sizes, we’ve needed larger classrooms for some time. But perhaps the main reason we need the additional space is because of the way we teach in a circle or groups, not rows. That means classrooms must be large enough to allow everyone to see each other.
The added space will make quite a difference. A new classroom on the seventh floor now accommodates forty students; three small classrooms on the second floor became two large classrooms, each seating thirty students; and on the fourth floor, a computer lab and classroom are now equal sizes.
All that space – and best of all, the jackhammers are gone, too.
MILESTONES
Congratulations to Tahany Gadalla for receiving tenure, to Esme Fuller-Thomson upon becoming a full professor and a huge thank you to Ted McNeill, Deborah Levine, Malcolm Stewart and Les Fleischer, each of whom has just marked ten years as sessional instructors.
WORTH CELEBRATING: TEN NEW DOCTORS OF PHILOSOPHY IN SOCIAL WORK
“The PhD program takes in ten students per year, who come with diverse backgrounds and interests. The program provides the means for each to develop a formidable program of research which extends beyond the life of their thesis and launches them into an area of knowledge that is scholarly and relevant to people’s lives, to policies and to programs of intervention.” — Adrienne Chambon, Professor and PhD Program Director
Rose Cameron, “What are you in the dark? The transformative powers of Manitouminasuc upon the identities of Anishinabeg in the Ontario child welfare system,” supervised by Sheila Neysmith.
Terry Cheng, “Continuing a normal life as a normal person. A hermeneutic phenomenological study on the reconstruction of self-identity of Chinese women within the lived experience of breast cancer survivorship,” supervised by Charmaine Williams.
Katharine Dill, “Fitting a square peg into a round hole. Understanding kinship care outside of the foster care paradigm — A qualitative comparative analysis of kinship and foster care from the perspectives of caregivers, child welfare workers and youth,” supervised by Robert MacFadden.
Arielle Dylan, “Three hundred leagues further into the wilderness. Conceptualizations of the nonhuman during Wendat-French culture contact, 1609-49: Implications for environmental social work and social justice,” supervised by Adrienne Chambon.
Julie Gowthorpe, “Making the adjustment. A grounded theory study of what works and does not work in postdivorce parenting relationships,” supervised by Faye Mishna.
Carmen Logie, “Exploring the experiences of sexual stigma, gender non-conformity stigma and HIV-related stigma and their associations with depression and life satisfaction among men who have sex with men in South India,” supervised by Peter Newman.
Magnus Mfoafo-M’Carthy, “Experience is the best teacher. Community treatment orders (CTOs) among ethno-racial minority communities in Toronto: A phenomenological study,” supervised by Charmaine Williams.
Maurice Poon, “The social construction of gay male partner abuse. Power, discourse and lived experience,” supervised by Usha George.
Kennedy Saldanha, “It’s better to be bad than stupid. An exploratory study on resistance and denial of special education discourses in the narratives of street youth,” supervised by David Hulchanski.
Jeanine Webber, “The difference between ecological context and treatment progress of young girls with comorbid externalizing and internalizing disorders and young girls with only externalizing disorders,” supervised by Susan Stern.
SUMMER MENTORSHIP PROGRAM WIDENS EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER HORIZONS
Thirty-six Ontario high school students spent July 8th and 15th learning about different roles social workers can play, collaboratively working through case studies, visiting community agencies and meeting with clients – all part of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work’s participation in the Summer Mentorship Program.
The program, which is sponsored by the Faculty of Medicine, is designed to demystify post-secondary education and motivate marginalized African-Canadian and Aboriginal youth to pursue university careers. Faculty co-ordinators of the two one-day workshops, Cheryl Mitri and Terry Gardiner, want to introduce these students, who are traditionally under-represented at universities, to the field of social work as a stimulating and positive career possibility.
TRAINING TOMORROW’S LEADERS TODAY
The next generation of individuals to lead social service agencies needs to be trained now. That’s why, in response to conversations with community leaders, we’ve started an Advanced Diploma in Social Service Administration, geared to people with Master’s degrees currently practising in the social services field.
BECOME AN ALUMNI MENTOR
Mentoring is an easy way to give back and help the next generation of social workers ease into the field. Share your experience and a little bit of time by mentoring a graduating student. Contact Terry.Gardiner@utoronto.ca or 416-946-0720.
Honours and Awards
THEY’RE THE TOP: TWO DOCTORAL PAPERS WIN COMPETITION
Manuscripts written by two Faculty PhD students, Meg Gibson and Michelina Longo, were chosen as the top two doctoral papers submitted to The Canadian Social Work Review 2010 Student Manuscript Competition. They will be published in the journal this year. Both papers grew out of an epistomology course taught at the Faculty by Professor K. Tat Tsang which prompted the students to think critically and write in philosophically-informed ways.
Michelina Longo examined the implications of humour for social work practice while Meg Gibson considered the ways different philosophical traditions in social work define and relate to lesbian parents. “Even though my paper had nothing to do with humour,” says Gibson, “now I really want to read Michelina’s.”
OUR STUDENTS ARE WINNERS
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is Canada’s major federal funding agency for health research. Three of our students are research award winners for 2010-2011.
Surujpaul Singh received funding to research “Programs and social determinants of health for sexual minority youth” under the supervision of Shelley Craig.
Angela Eady received funding to research “Imagine men’s health study,” supervised by David Brennan.
Melanie McDonald received funding to research “HIV vaccine preparedness: Integrating social, behavioural and biomedical research,” supervised by Peter Newman.
What’s New in Practicum
BUILDING BRIDGES PAYS OFF STRATEGICALLY
The Bertha Rosenstadt Fund is helping the Practicum Office to cement long term commitments for field instruction for students. This is important, according to assistant dean of field education Eileen McKee, because it takes a tremendous amount of their resources to recruit field instructors.
That’s where the Bertha Rosenstadt Fund comes in. How does it work? By fostering a mutually beneficial relationship. Organizations make a commitment to take a realistic and, ideally, progressive number of students for three or more years. In addition, the organization designs a proposal that contributes to field knowledge with respect to practicum. In return for that commitment, the Faculty gives them $5,000 for each of three years.
For Eileen McKee, there are three advantages. “It acts as a bridge to gain commitments for practicum opportunities for students,” she explains. “It strengthens and deepens partnerships, while also contributing to the field of knowledge with respect to practicum.”
What’s New in Research
GROUNDBREAKING DATA PROJECT LAUNCHED
Aron Shlonsky, professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, has received funding from the Leaders Opportunity Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund to create the Ontario Child Abuse and Neglect Data System at the University of Toronto. Ontario’s first child welfare data laboratory will be invaluable in fostering informed child welfare service and policy development in Ontario and across Canada.
RBC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS ANNOUNCED
Daphne Jeyapal is researching “Negotiating citizenship and social rights on the front lines of social service delivery,” supervised by Rupaleem Bhuyan.
Erinn Treff is researching “The social determinants of health and mental health for multi-ethnic sexual minority youth in schools,” supervised by Shelley Craig.
Melissa Van Wert is researching “Research watch: An inter-university approach to child maltreatment literature,” supervised by Barbara Fallon.
Sarah Beatty is researching “Family perspectives on acculturation,” supervised by Lin Fang.
Marjorie Johnston is researching “Transnationalism, education migration and Canadian school experiences: A pilot study on Korean migrant children in Toronto,” supervised by Eunjung Lee.
Jami Sawyer is researching “Research Ethics,” supervised by Peter Newman.
Jenn Root is researching “Assessing measures of parenting after separation and divorce,” supervised by Michael Saini.
Recent Events
PROMOTING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Graduates of the CITY Leaders (The Creative Institute for Toronto’s Young Leaders) development initiative received a co-certificate in leadership from the Faculty and United Way Toronto on July 27th. CITY Leaders is a program designed to empower young people who are working and volunteering in Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods to recognize the ways they can engage in their communities.
FEEDING THE MIND WITH MINDFULNESS OR COACHING
The value of coaching in supervising and managing human services was the focus of a September 15th two-hour information session about Continuing Education’s new certificate program in Solution-Focused Coaching.
Mindfulness meditation and its application to psychotherapy and education was the subject at the following night’s open house. The interprofessional certificate program in Applied Mindfulness Meditation is designed to teach people how to begin or deepen their own meditation practice and apply this in psychotherapy or education.
INSIGHT INTO ADOPTION
Dr. Philip Burge of Queen’s University presented research findings from two recent projects at a September 29th workshop at the Faculty, discussing the implications for child welfare practice. One research project provided a detailed review of over 400 files of permanent wards in Ontario. The second examined the decision-making process undergone by adoption applicants when considering available Ontario children.
In Memoriam
DAVID WOODSWORTH
Former director of McGill’s School of Social Work, professor Emeritus and eminent social policy thinker, David Woodsworth, died on August 13th in Montreal at the age of 91. At the helm of McGill’s School of Social Work during a pioneering time (1966-76), Woodsworth oversaw its expansion into undergraduate programming.
Active commitment to social issues was a hallowed family tradition — his uncle, J.S. Woodsworth, was the first leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which later became the New Democratic Party. After retiring from McGill, he co-founded an organization dedicated to maintaining independence for the elderly. A few months before his death Woodsworth remembered a colleague who taught gerontology warning him how little he knew about aging issues. “This was true,” he said, “but I learned.”
Check Out Our New Podcasts
Podcast: Profiles in Social Work — a podcast series featuring Faculty graduates talking in an easy and conversational manner about their careers — was launched on August 1st, 2010. Produced by the Faculty and the Alumni Association, these short audio episodes are intended to educate and stimulate thinking about the social work field.
Especially useful for anyone who is considering a career in social work, the podcasts provide valuable insights into the range of possible career paths open to someone with a social work degree. Hearing Eileen McKee, Cheryl Mitri and Barbara Ibbitson tell their own stories about their training and diverse professional experiences, highlights just how much of a positive difference social workers can make in their communities.
Vol 1(1): May 2010
Top Stories
HAVE YOU MET OUR NEW DEAN?
Professor Faye Mishna has been named the dean of the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work for a five-year term beginning Feb. 1st. Mishna was formally appointed by the Governing Council.
A double-major master’s graduate of the Faculty herself (in direct practice casework and research), she served as a social worker-counsellor in the field for over 20 years prior to returning to school for her PhD. She graduated in 1994 from Smith College School for Social Work and joined the University of Toronto as an assistant professor in 1999. Mishna progressed through the professorial ranks and achieved the rank of full professor in 2009.
An expert in children’s services, Mishna has been affiliated with the Toronto Child Psychoanalytic Program since 1996 and is cross-appointed to the Department of Psychiatry. She was named the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family in 2005.
Her research is focused on bullying and cyber risk/cyber bullying; cyber counselling; school-based interventions for students with learning disabilities; and social work education and clinical practice. She has published more than three dozen refereed journal articles and written a number of book chapters. As associate dean of research for the Faculty, she fostered positive collaboration with community agencies to support and enhance the mission of practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
In addition to her University of Toronto responsibilities, Mishna is a member of the National Framework Review Committee of the Child and Youth Advisory Committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada and a fellow of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities. Prior to joining the Faculty, she was clinical director of Integra, a children’s mental health centre for those with learning disabilities.
“Professor Mishna is both an excellent practitioner and researcher and during her tenure as interim dean, she demonstrated that she is also a superb administrator,” said Professor Cheryl Misak, vice-president and provost. “I am delighted that she will continue to serve the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the broader University of Toronto community.”
“It is a real honour to have the opportunity to lead the Faculty that gave me such an excellent start in my own career,” said Mishna. “I believe we can be at the forefront of research-informed practice and develop future generations of outstanding practitioners and researchers.”
EXTERNAL REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
Faculty Achievements
An external review addressed the Faculty’s priorities of educational activities, quality of teaching, relevance of the Faculty’s research initiatives, vision and long term plan. Read the external reviewer’s report and our response.
UPCOMING EVENTS
PARENTING ONE MORE TIME
The number of children being raised by their grandparents is rising dramatically. Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson’s research into these skipped generation households is shedding light on a once invisible phenomenon. It’s also been attracting strong media attention. This May 12th workshop will address crucial questions such as: Who are Canadian grandparent caregivers? What are the outcomes of kinship care for children and caregivers? What resources are available and what strategies can be used in advocacy?
Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Chair in Social Work at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Portraits in Resilience.”
Wednesday, May 12th, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Room 548, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor St. W.
Reserve a seat by contacting joanne.daciuk@utoronto.ca or 416-978-5720.
Calling All Alumni
We’re inviting all alumni to join us on May 18th at 6:00 pm for the Alumni Association AGM, followed by a panel discussion. It all takes place in the 3rd floor student lounge (Room 320) at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 246 Bloor St. West. Light refreshments will be served.
Be sure to stay for the panel discussion, moderated by Joan MacKenzie Davies, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Social Workers. Panelists represent four of the Faculty’s specializations:
Dr. Paula David (Gerontology), Lecturer, The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Kwasi Kafele (Health and Mental Health), Director, Health & Equity, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Cheryl Milne (Social Justice and Diversity), Lawyer and Executive Director, The David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law
Rashaad Vahed (Children and Their Families), Clinical Director, The George Hull Centre
To RSVP, contact us at alumni.fsw@utoronto.ca or give us a call at 416-978-4437.
MORE NEWS
Learning Never Stops
Our courses in Continuing Education at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work are more extensive and challenging than ever. We’re starting a new certificate program in solution-focused coaching.
We’re also unveiling an extensive program in mindfulness meditation. This inter-professional certification series synthesizes mindfulness, neuroscience, social and health sciences, comparative religion, educational theory and occupational health.
We’re holding a two-day seminar on youth re-engagement and workshops in neuroscience, custody evaluation and the practical applications of emotional intelligence. And that’s only a selection of the courses we’re offering. Read more about Continuing Education.
RECENT EVENTS
Expand Those Networks
For alumni and graduating students at the first Alumni Mentor Speed Networking event on January 26th, it was all about adding as many names as possible to their contact lists. In five-minute intervals, to the sound of a timer, partners were switched and valuable information was traded.
Students about to enter the profession had the unique opportunity to meet and talk with Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work alumni mentors about the experience of being a social worker in different settings. They heard directly and personally about life as a social worker in hospitals, schools, policy and mental health areas and arranged follow-up visits to cement relationships.
This was the kind of galvanizing event whose benefits just keep on multiplying as students and alumni build and expand their professional networks and support systems. Be sure to attend our next event that connects faculty, students and alumni in the mentoring program.
When It’s A Question of Ethics
The Faculty recently held two workshops on ethical issues led by bioethicist Karen Faith (MSW). On Feb. 12th, the Practicum Office hosted a workshop on ethical dilemmas in field placements that was attended by over 50 field instructors and students. On March 31st, the Research Institute for Evidence-based Social Work hosted Faith’s second workshop on ethical issues that arise when dealing with vulnerable populations.
Assessing and Treating Victims of Online Sexual Exploitation
Hosted by the Research Institute for Evidence-based Social Work at the Faculty,
Healthcare professionals Jasmine Elilav, Tanya Smith and Jennifer Coolbear from the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Program (SCAN) at the Hospital for Sick Children gave a workshop on Feb. 3rd. They provided insight into a new framework for assessing and treating children who have been sexually exploited online.
Focus on Haiti
Educational and thought-provoking presentations by panelists Melanie Newton and Alissa Trotz, both professors at the University of Toronto, and activist B.C. Holmes of the Toronto Haiti Action Committee, addressed the recent disaster in Haiti at a March 1st teach-in at the Faculty. It was an opportunity to consider social work’s role in alleviating the effects of poverty both locally and globally. Organized in response to National Social Work Week’s theme of “Poverty: There are Solutions,” the event provided a strong start to the week.
A student-organized talent show featuring faculty and student performers raised funds for Zanmi Lasante (www.pih.org), an NGO that offers health and social services in Haiti. The show was called “Social Workers Got Talent” – and we know they do!
Choosing to Stay Home
Key issues and breakthroughs in homecare policy and practice were the focus at the annual RBC conference on April 21st, hosted by the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Faculty of Arts and Science.
A strong turnout at the George Ignatieff Theatre listened raptly as Dr. Mark Nowaczynski described his home-based practice and the remarkable photographs he’s taken to document the lives of his elderly patients – images that are at once intimate and yet universal.
Former CBC radio host Andy Barrie gave a personal account of his own experience with homecare during his wife’s illness; Professor Sheila Neysmith, RBC Chair in Applied Social Work Research, the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, talked about women who perform caring labour in the home; and Professor Nancy Guberman, Ecole de travail social at Universite du Quebec a Montreal, discussed the state of homecare in Quebec.
HONOURS AND AWARDS
Awards in Child Welfare Research, Mindfulness and Social Justice
Barbara Fallon has earned the 2009 Child Welfare League of Canada Research and Evaluation Award, for her research into child abuse and neglect. The award recognizes outstanding child welfare research that has improved the lives of children and families. A professor at the Faculty, she also received her MSW and PhD here.
Ellen Katz’s research into therapists who use mindfulness with their patients earned her The 2009 Mind and Life Institute’s Francisco J. Varela Research Award, given to 78 emerging scientists in the field of contemplative neuroscience. She is an adjunct professor and doctoral student at the Faculty.
Deborah Sinclair received the YWCA 2010 Woman of Distinction Award for SocialJustice, one of eight awards recognizing women who have significantly improved the lives of other women and girls. Cited as a pioneer in the movement to end violence against women, she is a doctoral student at the Faculty.
An Impressive List of Research Grant Award Winners
Ernie Lightman, a professor at the Faculty, received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Standard Research Grant (SSHRC) for his research into precarious employment among people with fluctuating disabilities.
Izumi Sakamoto is researching representations of skilled immigrants in the media, with a view to improving them. An associate professor at the Faculty, she has received a SSHRC Standard Research Grant, as well as a CERIS Ontario Metropolis Centre Grant.
- David Hulchanski is researching and documenting changing neighbourhood trends in the downtown cores of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, hoping to raise awareness and engage in community outreach. A professor at the Faculty, he has received a SSHRC Public Outreach Grant and a development grant from Major Collaborative ResearchInitiatives (LOI-MCRI). He also received funding from Human Resources and SkillsDevelopment Canada (HRSDC)for his community-based research into services for homeless women and families, with the aim to identify relevant and sustainable service solutions.
Lynn McDonald, a professor at the Faculty, has received a HRSDC Grant for her research into the mistreatment of older adults in Canada. She also received a HRSDC Grant for a three year national project aimed at enhancing financial literacy in older women.
Peter A. Newman’s research aims to prepare communities of men in India for informed decision-making in HIV vaccine research. An associate professor at the Faculty, he has received an Operating Grant in HIV Vaccine Social Research from the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR).
Aron Shlonsky is creating Ontario’s first longitudinal database of child protection services. An associate professor at the Faculty, he has received a Leaders OpportunityFund Grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI-LOF.
RESEARCH NEWS
A Change Has Gotta Come
Recent research by Ramona Alaggia and Angelique Jenney into domestic violence and the impact of child welfare policies reveals that far too few perpetrating men are being investigated. Alaggia, the Factor-Inwentash Chair in Children’s Mental Health, and Jenney, Director of Family Violence Services at the Child Development Institute and a doctoral candidate at the Faculty, describe a system that is unable to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.
Their findings show that mothers remain the main focus in children’s aid investigations of domestic violence. Child welfare workers report that they are not as skilled as they should be in working with fathers. Perpetrating men are investigated in less than half the reported cases and over one third of investigated cases of domestic violence in Toronto remain open – a higher rate than in any other form of child maltreatment.
Aleggia and Jenney are adamant about the need for change. They point to a legal system that is used frequently as a shield to prevent access to men who are violent in their relationships. “Child welfare policies need to be reformed to enable workers to hold perpetrating fathers accountable from investigation to follow-up services,” they say.
Hope for Healing in Rwanda
A group-based healing program in Rwanda is bringing together both perpetrators and survivors of genocide – who are often living side-by-side – to rebuild their communities. Developed by Dr. Simon Gasibirege, a Rwandan doctor trained in the West, the program combines Western training with local coping mechanisms.
Regine King’s dissertation examines the nature and outcome of this remarkable program. For King – a fourth year doctoral student at the Faculty whose country of origin is Rwanda – researching post-genocide healing is emotionally challenging work. But it’s work that she feels compelled to do.
King’s preliminary findings highlight the importance of an indigenous approach to healing. Her research is providing information that will benefit other survivors and expand our knowledge of mental health and trauma.
In preparation for her field work, King received several Canadian and international fellowships and awards, including the Doctoral Fellows Award by the Society for Social Work Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Grant-in-Aid award.
MORE NEWS
Call for Field Instructors
Field instructors play a critical role in the education of MSW students. If you’d like an opportunity to share the expertise and experience you’ve gained over the years in the real world, then we want to hear from you. Link theory to practice and give back to your profession.
There are many benefits to becoming a field instructor at the Faculty. It’s an opportunity for professional development. You’ll receive support and training, while sharpening supervisory skills and gaining invaluable experience. Commit to being a field instructor for three years and you will receive the designation of Adjunct Lecturer with the University of Toronto.
From time to time, our course instructors need experts in the field. Active field instructors can now provide their relevant information on a List of Expertise. This list is available to instructors for review.
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a field instructor, e-mail us at practicum.fsw@utoronto.ca or visit https://socialwork.utoronto.ca/practicum/for-field-instructors/.
The Gayle Gilchrist James Scholarships Established
Gayle Gilchrist James (BSW 1963, MSW 1966) believed in giving back to the places that made a difference in her life. “I prefer to invest,” she once wrote, “in those people and institutions that invested in me at a critical point in my life.”
That commitment and loyalty, combined with a lifelong support of students, will remain a strong part of her legacy. By designating the Faculty as a major beneficiary of her estate, the name of one of our most dedicated alumnae will be linked to the Faculty for years to come.
We’re proud to announce the Gayle Gilchrist James Scholarships. These scholarships will allow students to continue their education and free them from financial worries. They will be awarded annually and in perpetuity to students at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.
In Memoriam: Joyce Cohen
Joyce Cohen, assistant professor at the Faculty until 1995, died on March 20th. A vibrant woman who lived life fully, she was a caring social worker who enriched many lives, both professionally and personally. Students and colleagues remember her as a loyal and generous friend and an insightful and spirited teacher.
Her major research projects included studies on adoption breakdown and international adoption where her priority was to make findings available to practitioners and social service agencies.
Cohen was born in Plattsburgh, New York and obtained her MSW from Case Western Reserve. She began her career as a group worker in a children’s treatment centre, later moving to Montreal’s Baron de Hirsch Institute (a Jewish child and family agency) where she developed her expertise in family therapy. After several years of practice at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, she joined the Chedoke Child and Family Centre at McMaster University’s new Medical Faculty, where she taught family therapy from 1969 to 1973.