We use cookies on this site to enhance your experience.
By selecting “Accept” and continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies.
Explore social work research through conversations about the issues and experiences shaping our communities. Featuring work from Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work, these podcast episodes offer different perspectives on topics ranging from grief and healing to equity, resistance and social justice, and their connections to practice, education and everyday life.
Browse podcast episodes featuring scholars in the Faculty of Social Work by year: 2025, 2024.
Synopsis: In this powerful conversation, host Fizza Abbas speaks with Adair Shaw about the complex and often stigmatized grief experienced by families following substance-related deaths. Drawing on qualitative research and lived experience, Adair reveals how individuals navigate ambiguity, shame and social isolation while actively resisting stigma. Through community, art, education and empathy, those affected can reconstruct meaning and transform loss into resilience, advocacy and healing.
About the Researcher: Adair Shaw is a Master of Social Work Student from Wilfrid Laurier University who recently completed a thesis titled “Grief on the margins: The death of a family member to substance use.” She has a background in peer grief support, geriatrics, and community eating disorder treatment and is currently training in psychotherapy for trauma and concurrent disorders.
Synopsis: In this compelling conversation, host Fizza Abbas speaks with Amilah Baksh about the hidden realities of gendered Islamophobia within social work education, where Muslim women often navigate exclusion, bias and silencing. Drawing on lived experience and emerging research, Amilah challenges the myth of social work as inherently anti-oppressive and calls for deeper accountability. The discussion highlights the urgent need to create brave, inclusive classrooms that centre identity, confront injustice and empower educators and students to drive meaningful change.
About the Researcher: Amilah Baksh is a Canadian Muslim woman of Indo-Caribbean descent. Her social work experience includes child welfare, clinical social work and community organizing. She has been a social work educator for more than a decade, and is currently pursuing a PhD researching gendered Islamophobia in social work education and is an Instructor at the Facutly of Social Work.
Synopsis: In this deeply reflective conversation, host Fizza Abbas speaks with Christina Kingsbury about how ecological grief, personal illness and environmental violence intertwine within the body and the land. Drawing on arts-based gardening and autoethnographic research, Christina reveals how creative, relational practices can transform grief into healing, connection and resistance. The conversation reimagines social work as a space for collective care, where tending to the land becomes a pathway toward justice, accountability and ecological solidarity.
About the Researcher: Christina Kingsbury is a queer white settler artist, educator, and gender-justice worker based in the Grand River watershed on Mississaugas of the Credit treaty lands. Her work spans community-engaged, garden-based art projects that explore inter-species solidarity, ecological grief, and responses to settler colonialism and climate crisis.She recently completed her MSW at Wilfrid Laurier University, where her thesis used autoethnography to examine arts-integrated gardening and ecological grief.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Fizza Abbas speaks with David Clement about how youth are drawn into extremist ideologies through unmet needs, online ecosystems, and social polarization. Challenging surveillance-based approaches, he called for a shift toward trauma-informed, relational, and community-centered social work interventions. The episode highlighted how practitioners can disrupt pathways to extremism by fostering belonging, critical awareness, and compassionate engagement.
About the Researcher: Dr. David Yuzva Clement is an adjunct research professor at Carleton University’s School of Social Work, an Associate Fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, and Co-Founder of the Inter-Faith Peace Initiative Bonn.He holds a Doctorate and M.A. in Religious Studies and an MSW, and his interdisciplinary research focuses on preventing and countering violent extremism through community-based, clinical, and educational approaches.His work also examines the impacts of extremist ideologies on children, youth, and families, and explores links between social work, civic education, and democratic engagement.
Synopsis: In this powerful conversation, host Fizza Abbas speaks with Dr. Gus Hill about how how he challenged colonial and capitalist approaches to research, calling for a return to relationality, accountability, and Indigenous-led knowledge through OCAP principles. Grounded in lived experience and community wisdom, he redefined research as a space for healing, reciprocity, and collective empowerment. Centering water as life, the episode urged a shift toward protecting land, honoring Indigenous science, and building futures rooted in responsibility to the next generations.
About the Researcher: Dr. Gus Hill is a Full Professor and Hallman Research Chair in Child and Family Wellness in the Faculty of Social Work at Wilfrid Laurier University. He earned his BSW from Laurentian University and both his MSW and PhD from Laurier, and teaches in the Indigenous Field of Study.His research is guided by OCAP principles and relational accountability, focusing on Indigenous wholistic wellness, community capacity building, water safety and protection, and worker wellness.
Synopsis: In this powerful conversation, host Fizza Abbas speaks with Jiaqing Wilson-Ying about how trans and gender-diverse individuals navigate systemic barriers, gender-based violence, and exclusion—especially within campus and care settings. Drawing on research and lived experience, it challenged surface-level inclusion and calls for deeper structural and cultural transformation. At its core, the discussion centered resilience, community care, and the urgent need to build spaces where trans people don’t just survive — but truly belong and thrive.
About the Researcher: Jia Qing Wilson-Yang, MSW, is a mixed race trans woman who has worked providing direct support to survivors of gender-based, and LGBTQ youth & adults. She was involved in the Trans Priorities Project, which sought to determine the research priorities of trans women affected by HIV in Canada. Currently, she works in private practice as a psychotherapist.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Fizza Abbas speaks with Dr. Kathy Absolon about how she challenges colonial research traditions by centering Indigenous knowledge, relationality, and lived experience.
About the Researcher: Dr. Kathy Absolon (Minogiizhigo Kwe) is an Anishinaabekwe from Flying Post First Nation and a leading scholar in Indigenous social work and research methodologies. She earned her PhD from OISE/University of Toronto and her MSW from Wilfrid Laurier University, with influential work centering Indigenous knowledge, healing, and ways of knowing. She is a faculty member at FSW’s Indigenous Field of Study and Director of the Centre for Indigegogy, where she integrates ceremony, circle work, and land-based learning into teaching and practice.
Synopsis: In this conversation, host Fizza Abbas speaks with Sarah Pearson, who revealed how gender-based violence in classical music spaces can deeply harm not just careers — but the very identity and spirit of artists. Through trauma-informed and feminist research, it challenged the myth of the arts as inherently healing, exposing the power dynamics and harm embedded within them. Sarah called for a more critical, embodied, and spiritually aware approach to art, healing, and social work practice.
About the Researcher: Sarah Pearson (she/her) worked for a decade as a music therapist before becoming a PhD student. While no longer a practicing music therapist, Sarah holds a thriving private practice as a psychotherapist, which keeps her busy while she works part-time on her dissertation. Originally from Montreal, she is a mother to a toddler and lives in downtown Kitchener.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Nathan Barnett speaks with Tin Vo about how 2SLGBTQ+ spaces — often assumed to be safe — can still reproduce exclusion through intersectional discrimination. Blending public health and social work perspectives, the research revealed how belonging directly shapes mental health, resilience, and community connection. This podcast focused on the need for more inclusive, intentional spaces that move beyond survival toward collective resistance and genuine belonging.
About the Researcher: Tin (he/they) is an Assistant Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, with extensive interdisciplinary training in public health and social work.T hey hold degrees from the University of Guelph, the University of Alberta, and a PhD in Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University, alongside over 12 years of evaluation experience across public health and social service sectors. Tin's research focuses on equity, social exclusion, and belonging as determinants of health for marginalized communities, aiming to inform responsive and inclusive systems of care.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Andrew Tibbetts speaks with Dr. Dalon Taylor about how lived experiences of racism shape the journeys of racialized skilled immigrants, challenging the myth that hard work alone ensures success. Dalon called attention to systemic barriers in employment, childcare, housing, and service access despite immigrants’ high qualifications that point to a need for targeted, inclusive policies and community-informed solutions to better support equitable integration and opportunity.
About the Researcher: Dr. Dalon Taylor, an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, has a PhD from York University with an MSW, BSW, and BA in International Development Studies. Previously, she was a full-time faculty member at Trent University in Social Work and part-time instructor at University of Windsor's School of Social Work program.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Ali Diebold speaks with Dr. Nuha Dwaikat-Shaer about her research on how systemic inequalities in settler colonial contexts shape migrants’ access to justice, housing, and basic rights. By highlighting lived experiences of precarious-status migrants, she exposed barriers such as legal inaccessibility, exploitation, and lack of trust in institutions. This provided the argument for advocacy for decolonial, anti-racist approaches in research, policy, and social work to address structural injustice and support marginalized communities.
About the Researcher: Dr. Nuha Dwaikat-Shaer, Assistant Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University, integrates architecture, social work, and community development in her work. With over 20 years of experience in conflict zones, she focuses on housing rights and social justice for marginalized communities. Her research examines power, colonial violence, and institutional discrimination, informed by her lived experiences.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Victoria Huang speaks with Amar Ghelani about his research on cannabis use among youth who have experienced psychosis, focusing on why they initiate and continue use despite known risks. Using a phenomenological approach, he highlighted the social, emotional, and identity-related factors that shape cannabis use, as well as how young people perceive its benefits and harms. The conversation emphasized the need for harm reduction, early education, and more nuanced, youth-centered approaches in mental health care. Findings of Amar's study highlighted family ambivalence and varied perceptions of harm, underscoring the need for youth-informed engagement and harm reduction strategies.
About the Researcher: Amar Ghelani is a PhD Candidate and social worker with 18 years of experience. He researches cannabis use among youth who have experienced psychosis. His work centers youth voices to understand motivations, risks, and the social contexts shaping cannabis use.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Andrew Tibbetts speaks with Christine Mayor about how her identity as a white settler shapes her research on racism, trauma, and social work practice. She discussed how “trauma-informed” approaches in schools often ignore systemic racism, leading to the under-recognition and misinterpretation of Black and Indigenous students’ experiences. Christine highlighted the need for systemic change, anti-racist practice, and accountability to urge educators and social workers to move beyond individual interventions toward structural justice.
About the Researcher: Christine Mayor, a white settler from Bermuda living on Treaty One Territory, conducted interdisciplinary research on trauma, (anti-)racism, educational equity, and the arts. With over a decade of experience as a trainer, drama therapist, and psychotherapist, she has led school-based programs and worked in public health trauma support. Christine's teaching integrates social work, policy, and research through creative, critically informed approaches.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Sarah Southey speaks with Cara Grosset about her research focus that explores how individuals with intellectual disabilities experience grief and how their needs are often overlooked or misinterpreted as behavioral issues. She highlighted systemic gaps in social work education and support systems, emphasizing the need for more inclusive, grief-informed practices. Cara also underscored the importance of autonomy, compassion, and practical approaches to better support diverse grieving experiences.
About the Researcher: Cara Grosset has worked with bereaved children, youth, and adults for over 30 years in practice. Her doctoral research focused on the grieving experiences of people living with intellectual disabilities. She is currently the Director, Psychosocial, Grief and Bereavement Care at the Kemp Care Network.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Andrew Tibbetts speaks with Dr. Cheryl-Anne Cait about her interest in how losing a parent in adolescence shapes identity and self-understanding over time. Her research showed that grief is not fixed but evolves across life stages, influencing relationships, beliefs, and personal narratives. She also revealed how perspectives on deceased parents shift as individuals grow, especially through roles like parenthood. Throughout this podcast, Cheryl-Anne highlighted grief as an ongoing, relational process tied to meaning-making, memory, and identity development.
About the Researcher: Dr. Cheryl-Anne Cait, Associate Professor at Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work, has taught across MSW and PhD programs and contributed to prison-based education through the Walls2Bridges program. With decades of experience as a clinical social worker, she specializes in death, dying, and bereavement across diverse populations. Cheryl-Anne's work emphasizes experiential learning and arts-based approaches to teaching, practice, and knowledge development.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Cristina Del Principe speaks with Dr. Jessica Hutchison about her research on strip searching in women’s prisons as a form of gendered, racialized, and state-inflicted sexual violence. Dr. Jessica Hutchison discussed how her advocacy with incarcerated women shaped her abolitionist, community-engaged research approach. While highlighting the disconnect between institutional policies and the lived experiences of those subjected to these practices, Jessica encouraged social workers to integrate advocacy, center lived experience, and challenge oppressive systems at both practice and policy levels.
About the Researcher: Dr. Jessica Hutchison is a community-engaged scholar researching racism, settler colonialism, and gendered state violence in carceral settings. Her PhD work examined strip searching in women’s prisons as a form of gendered and colonial violence. Jessica prioritizes anti-carceral, decolonizing social work practices informed by community-engaged research and Indigegogy.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Sarah Southey speaks with Dr. Festus Moasun about what personally drives him to uncover how culture shapes the meaning — and treatment — of disability. From Ghana to Canada, he revealed how beliefs, power, and social structures can either exclude or empower. Festus explored topics of grief, resilience, and the urgent need for culturally grounded advocacy that restores dignity and belonging.
About the Researcher: Dr. Festus Moasun, an Assistant Professor at the University of Windsor, researches (dis)Ability, mental health, and racialized and immigrant experiences in the Global South. His work uses critical qualitative methods such as interpretive phenomenology, participatory action research, and digital ethnography. Festus is also an active advocate for equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-Black racism.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Grace Ihejiamaizu speaks with Dr. Charles Gyan about how personal experience and Ghanaian context shaped his focus on gender equity in community development. He challenges Western, individual-focused ideas of resilience, revealing how systems—not just people—must change to support immigrants and refugees. Through a transnational feminist lens, Charles calls for culturally grounded, justice-oriented social work that amplifies women’s roles and lived realities.
About the Researcher: Dr. Charles Gyan focuses on academic research and social policy change in transnational social work and community development as an Assistant Professor at McGill University. He aims for social justice by addressing oppressive gender norms and advocating for marginalized groups. Charles prepares students for ethical practice and has received awards for teaching and equity contributions.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Grace Ihejiamaizu speaks with Dr. Ginette Lafrenière about the importance of bridging theory and practice, centering community voices, and using research as a tool for social justice and transformation.
About the Researcher: Dr. Ginette Lafrienère, a Professor at Laurier University’s Faculty of Social Work, is a leader in community-engaged research and founder of the Social Innovation Research Group at the FSW. She served as Director of the Manulife Centre for Community Health Research from 2013 to 2024. Ginette's work emphasizes community collaboration, public scholarship, and mentoring students in community-based research.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Sarah Southey speaks with Stewart Smith. In his work in the field of mental health, Stewart observed many individuals who considered spirituality or religion central to their lives and wished to incorporate it into their treatment. This led him to step back and research how to effectively integrate these aspects into practice, considering various implications. In this podcast, Stewart discussed his experieces in his mental health practice and his subsequent research.
About the Researcher: Stewart Smith's research focuses on best practices for social workers with spiritual or religious clients, informed by mental health work. While completing his PhD in social work, Stewart also teaches social work and is a part-time research assistant and counsellor.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Grace Ihejiamaizu speaks with Alishau Diebold about the importance of supporting marginalized and criminalized women through community-based approaches. She discussed her research on community care models, highlighting systemic barriers, intersectionality, and the need to address root causes like poverty, housing, and mental health. Alishau also emphasized innovative methods like arts-based mapping and social entrepreneurship as tools for empowerment, inclusion, and sustainable reintegration.
About the Researcher: Alishau Diebold is a part-time instructor and PhD candidate in Social Work, working as a psychotherapist and reintegration worker focused on marginalized groups through research and community development. Alishau has a Bachelor's in Legal Studies and a Master's in Social Work.
Synopsis: In this podcast, host Cristina Del Principe speaks with Maxxine Rattner about her research on non-physical suffering in palliative and end-of-life care, focusing on the emotional, psychological, and existential challenges faced by patients and clinicians. She highlighted a critical gap between expectations of care and what is realistically possible in practice, emphasizing the need for more support, training, and research in this area. The discussion underscored the importance of better resourcing social workers and creating institutional support systems to sustain those providing care in deeply challenging environments.
About the Researcher: As a PhD Candidate in Social Work, Maxxine Rattner writes, teaches, and researches palliative and end-of-life care. She focuses on suffering and grief to support patients, families, and clinicians dealing with serious illnesses.