Rachael Pascoe
Rachel Pascoe, PhD, MSW, RSW
Rachael.pascoe@mail.utoronto.ca
Google Scholar Publication Profile
Research Interests
- Adolescent sexual offending interventions
- Child and youth maltreatment and trauma
- Sexual violence prevention
- 2SLGBTQ+ youth mental health needs and interventions
- Intervention research for historically underserved youth
- Substance use treatment and nicotine cessation
Biography
Rachael Pascoe (she/her) is a SSHRC funded social work PhD graduate from the Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. Rachael also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto. Rachael’s clinical social work experience is with children and youth who have experienced sexual abuse. She serves as co-chair for the Ontario Groupwork Chapter.
Rachael’s PhD Dissertation was a mixed methods study of the effects of a novel group therapy program on shame, masculinity, and isolation for adolescents who have sexually offended. This research is intended to inform treatment efforts with adolescents who have sexually offended and support reparative processes to prevent future sexual abuse.
Rachael has worked as a research assistant for a number of projects at FIFSW, most notably as the Clinical Evaluation Specialist for the PHAC-funded Project Youth AFFIRM, an affirmative CBT group intervention for LGBTQ+ youth with Dr. Shelley Craig. Rachael is an RBC-Fellow for Dr. Ramona Alaggia with the Child and Youth Trauma Research Incubator (ThRIve) lab. Rachael joined the Childhood Adversity and Resilience (CARe) Research Training Platform in 2024. She has taught a number of courses as a course instructor for FIFSW. Rachael’s research interests include clinical interventions with historically underserved youth. Rachael is working as a Research Coordinator at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research.
Dissertation
“Sharing in Group Was Freeing”: A Mixed Methods Intervention Study of the Unite and Redefine Group Therapy Program for the Reduction of Shame, Isolation, and Traditional Masculinity Beliefs of Adolescents who have Sexually Offended.
Education
- PhD, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 2025
- MSW, Health and Mental Health Specialty, Collaborative Program in Addiction Studies, University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, 2014
- HBA, Health Studies Specialization, Anthropology Minor, Psychology Minor, University of Toronto, Faculty of Arts and Science, 2012