Violence against Native women in Canada is widespread and has deeply systemic and colonial roots. This paper will attempt to show the role that dominant representations of culture, race, and gender have in allowing this violence to continue by eclipsing many different narratives and ways of expressing cultural and individual identities. Violence in the mainstream media will be explored and analyzed drawing on concepts from critical theories, Aboriginal epistemological frameworks, and anti-racist, disability, and Afro-centric feminisms to build a framework on which to analyze the meanings of the representations. After exploring violent and colonial discourse, the discussion will turn to art. Self and cultural representation and expression by Native women can act as important forms of resistance to the tools of colonial oppression. The artwork of Rebecca Belmore and Shelley Niro are powerful examples of addressing and exploring issues of identity, culture, resistance, and survival for Aboriginal women.

Violence against Native women in Canada is widespread and has deeply systemic and colonial roots. This paper will attempt to show the role that dominant representations of culture, race, and gender have in allowing this violence to continue by eclipsing many different narratives and ways of expressing cultural and individual identities. Violence in the mainstream media will be explored and analyzed drawing on concepts from critical theories, Aboriginal epistemological frameworks, and anti-racist, disability, and Afro-centric feminisms to build a framework on which to analyze the meanings of the representations. After exploring violent and colonial discourse, the discussion will turn to art. Self and cultural representation and expression by Native women can act as important forms of resistance to the tools of colonial oppression. The artwork of Rebecca Belmore and Shelley Niro are powerful examples of addressing and exploring issues of identity, culture, resistance, and survival for Aboriginal women.

Social work imagines itself as a site of goodness and justice. My thesis illustrates the ways in which commitments to the profession’s social justice-oriented ideals are ruptured when racialized social workers name the operation of racism within everyday sites of professional practice. I show how colonial and imperial constructions of helping (moral superiority and goodness) continue to shape the hegemonic scripts about the role and practices of social work, reinscribing white dominance in social work knowledge production. Historically, racialized bodies have been constituted as Others, subjects to be regulated, controlled and ‘saved’ within the colonial project. I examine the dilemmas that emerge when racialized Others become the helpers and attempt to perform a normative identity that is constructed through white dominance. In this study, I provide a detailed analysis of twenty-three semi-structured interviews with racialized social workers. I trace the production of the profession’s values and notions of good practice within their narratives. I specifically explore the moments in which ‘good’ practice and commitments to the values of the profession break down in everyday work with clients and co-workers. Racist encounters with clients appear as overwhelming occurrences within workers’ narratives, and a complex paradox is revealed: the discursive arrangements within social work that constitute good, social justice-oriented practice, are the very same discourses that disavow the operation of racism. Within these moments workers are left questioning whether or not they can be ‘good social workers’ because the act of naming racism appears to be incompatible with their commitments to the values that shape what is recognized as good social work practice. The narratives presented in this thesis point to the trespasses, erasures and individualizing discourses that secure whiteness at the exact moments in which race is made invisible. I contend that, when workers name racism, their very presence is destabilizing to a social work profession that needs to construct an image of itself as a site of goodness. Social work must examine the colonial continuities that construct contemporary practices, and to make visible the ways in which hegemonic scripts shaping justice and goodness reinstall whiteness and collude with racism.

Appropriate housing with security of tenure is an important factor in the immigrant settlement and integration process. However, many studies of immigrant settlement and the housing careers of immigrants do so within the borders of a nation-state without reference to transnationalism – immigrants’ ties and cross-border connections with the country of origin. This case study of the transnational ties and housing careers of Ghanaian immigrants in Toronto aims to increase our understanding of one recent immigrant group’s settlement and integration process in Canada. Using a mixed-method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, this study explores how transnational housing activities influence the housing careers of Ghanaians in Toronto. The findings include insights into the immigration history and the socio-demographic characteristics of Ghanaians in Toronto; the nature and extent of transnational ties between Ghana and Canada; the nature of housing careers among Ghanaians in Toronto; and the influence of transnationalism on housing careers of Ghanaians in Toronto. Although Ghanaians’ immigration to Canada dates from the late 1950s, Ghanaians started coming to Canada in noticeable numbers after the 1960s. Ghanaian immigration to Canada generally and to Toronto particularly surged in the 1980s and beyond. Deteriorating economic and political conditions in Ghana and relatively favourable immigration policies and a good economic climate in Canada were the driving forces behind Ghanaian migration to Canada. However, the Ghanaian settlement process in Toronto does not culminate in a complete break with the homeland. Rather, Ghanaians in Toronto have engaged in a range of transnational activities with the country of origin, including contacts with family and friends, travelling to or visiting Ghana, following Ghanaian politics, investing in housing or property in Ghana, running businesses in Ghana, attending funerals in Ghana, and making regular remittances to Ghana. With respect to Ghanaians’ housing careers, the study reveals that during their initial settlement period, most Ghanaians lived in public subsidized rental housing or poor-quality private rental housing. They considered their housing conditions as inadequate and unsuitable and were not satisfied with their neighbourhood’s safety and security. At the time of the survey, however, respondents were more likely to own homes and were more likely to feel safe and secure in their neighbourhoods. However, housing affordability remains a major problem for Ghanaians in Toronto. With respect to the influence of transnationalism on housing careers of Ghanaians in Toronto, the study finds that transnational housing activities, especially Ghanaians’ attitudes to and preference for investing in housing in Ghana, affect their housing careers in Toronto. Sending regular remittances to Ghana and investing in housing in the homeland involve mobilizing huge financial resources from Toronto to achieving their housing needs in the country of origin, while many Ghanaians struggle to meet their own needs in Toronto. A logistic regression analysis shows that personal income and strong ties with Ghana are statistically significant predictors of investing in housing in Ghana. At the same time, significant predictors of Ghanaians’ propensity to own a house in Canada include loyalty to Canada and household income. The study contributes conceptually and empirically to three areas of research – transnationalism, housing careers, and immigrant settlement and integration – which hitherto have been studied as separate themes. Conceptually, it breaks away from the traditional way of researching immigrant settlement and housing careers by introducing a new conceptual dimension, transnationalism. Further, this research has added new insights about a recently arrived immigrant group in Toronto. Finally, the study contributes to the social work literature by identifying an emerging field of international social work. It has drawn attention to the fact that in the era of transnationalism, the emergence of a population of migrants whose needs and lives transcend national borders will affect the future of social work research and practice.

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Mark B. White / Although the processes by which fathers’ presence in the home affect children’s development is not known exactly, ongoing research is making strides toward a greater understanding of this concept (Lamb, 2000). Much of the research conducted on fathering came from researchers’ applying measures and concepts developed to understand mothering. This comparison of fathering and mothering has yielded little understanding of the processes by which father involvement can influence child development and, only in recent decades, has fathering begun to be studied using separate measures designed specifically to understand the unique aspects of fathering (Marsiglio, Amato, Day, & Lamb, 2001). To date, the effects of father involvement in families have been highlighted as a key factor in child growth and development, prevention of poverty, and as a buffer against adolescent risk-taking behaviors (Day & Lamb, 2004). However, in some cases, father involvement can have a very negative effect on children in families, and counter examples of research, showing the deleterious effects of negative father involvement, add an important aspect to fathering studies (Pleck, 2003). Unfortunately, the contradictory opinions and information found in research literature offer practitioners limited information upon which to base their work with fathers and their families. The following is a review of current research literature on father involvement, with an emphasis on families with adolescents. Recent improvements in researchers’ understanding and measurement of father involvement offer practical information for mental health practitioners. The written portion of this report will review current research on father involvement with adolescent children, and then in the presentation, offer suggestions for applying current fathering research to counseling practice. The goal of this report is to offer information that will narrow the research to practice gap for those working with adolescents and their families. Despite the flurry of research on father involvement in recent decades, little appears to have been done to make this research readily available to practitioners. Thus, current practices are limited, in that they are not benefiting from past research on father involvement and are not evolving with improved conceptualization and measurement of fathering activities. Given the current emphasis on evidence-based practice, this report is meant to be an added resource for practitioners, intending to help fathers in families with adolescents. In addition to a critical review of key works focusing on the effects of father involvement on adolescent children, this report will add insight to the work that clinicians do by discussing current perspectives in the fathering literature and offering suggestions for applying these ideas in the talk-therapy arena. Father influence on children during adolescence is the focus of this report due to research evidence showing that fathers influence may become increasingly important in the later stages of child development. (Amato, 1994; Faber, Edwards, Bauer, & Wetchler, 2003).

Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Anthony Jurich / Throughout this report, I focused on how the mother-child relationship is affected following the loss of a husband/father. I started with a case study and followed with the effects of losing a spouse, the effects of losing a parent, specifically how the mother-child relationship is impacted, and ended with a recommendation for a course of therapy, referencing back to the case study presented in the opening chapter. The loss of a husband/father is an extremely difficult occurrence, and as illustrated in this report, will have a lasting impact on the complexities of the mother-child relationship.

La pandémie de la COVID-19 a eu des impacts sur tout un chacun. Or, force est de constater que certains groupes ont été plus durement touchés que d’autres. À cet effet, les femmes en situation d’itinérance représentent une population dont la recherche fait peu état de leur situation alors qu’elles sont extrêmement vulnérables et encore plus en temps de pandémie (Schiff, J.W., Pauly, B. et Schiff, P, 2016). Ce mémoire souhaite étudier les impacts de la COVID-19 sur le quotidien des femmes en situation d’itinérance à Montréal. Comment est-ce que l’imposition des mesures sanitaires a-t-elle été vécue ? Quelles en sont les répercussions ? Les données recueillies proviennent de la recherche : La réorganisation des services institutionnels et communautaires auprès des personnes en situation d’itinérance et les besoins des personnes en situation d’itinérance pour faire face à la pandémie de COVID-19. Une quinzaine d’entrevue semi-dirigées ont été réalisées auprès de femmes vivant une situation d’itinérance durant les périodes de l’automne 2020 et de l’hiver 2021. Les résultats ont par la suite été analysés dans une perspective féministe intersectionnelle par l’utilisation de l’analyse différenciée selon le sexe de même que la théorie de l’intersectionnalité. Les résultats de ce mémoire démontrent que l’imposition des mesures sanitaires a entraîné des conséquences négatives sur le quotidien des femmes en situation d’itinérance. Elles ont vu leur capacité à répondre à leurs besoins de base diminué jusqu’à parfois disparaitre. Le confinement, le couvre-feu ainsi que la fermeture des services non-essentielles ont aussi forcé une visibilité du phénomène de l’itinérance au féminin. Par ailleurs, la charge émotive de ces femmes s’est alourdie. Malgré toutes ces intempéries, celles-ci ont fait preuve d’une grande résilience et d’une capacité d’adaptation inouïe. En sus, les résultats démontrent qu’il y a eu un manque flagrant de considération de la part du gouvernement du Québec envers la situation spécifique des femmes en situation d’itinérance lors de l’imposition des mesures sanitaires. Cette absence de considération est venue brimer plusieurs de leurs droits fondamentaux impunément. Ce mémoire démontre les lacunes étatiques lors d’une crise sanitaire et proposent des pistes d’action pouvant y remédier. / The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone. However, it is clear that some groups have been more severely affected than others. In this regard, women living on the streets represent a population whose situation is not well documented in research, even though they are extremely vulnerable, and even more so during a pandemic (Schiff, J.W., Pauly, B. et Schiff, P, 2016). This thesis aims to study the impacts of COVID-19 on the daily lives of women experiencing homelessness in Montreal. How was the imposition of the health measures experienced? What are the repercussions? The data collected is drawn from the research titled La réorganisation des services institutionnels et communautaires auprès des personnes en situation d’itinérance et les besoins des personnes en situation d’itinérance pour faire face à la pandémie de COVID-19. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with women experiencing homelessness during the fall of 2020 and winter of 2021. The results were then analyzed from an intersectional feminist perspective using gender-based analysis. The results of this thesis demonstrate that the imposition of COVID-19 restrictions has had a negative impact on the daily lives of women experiencing homelessness. They have seen their ability to meet their basic needs diminish and sometimes disappear. Confinement, curfews and the closing of non-essential services have also forced the visibility of homelessness on women. In addition, the emotional burden of these women has increased. Despite all the bad circumstances, they showed great resilience and an incredible capacity to adapt. In addition, the results show that there was a flagrant lack of consideration by the provincial government for the specific situation of women experiencing homelessness when imposing health measures. This lack of consideration has led to the violation of many of their fundamental rights with a lack of accountability. This thesis demonstrates the state's shortcomings during a public health crisis and proposes possible courses of action to address these deficiencies.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Melinda S. Markham and Karen S. Myers-Bowman / The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the phenomenon of social networking sites (SNSs) and its impact on practicing human service professionals. In this exploratory study, 33 interviews, comprised of family life educators and social workers, were conducted in order to gain the perspective of how SNSs were being used in practice. A phenomenological approach was used to get at the lived experiences of these professionals. In addition, a Johari Window lens provided a way to understand the level of transparency professionals had when interacting with the digital culture. Themes found described how SNSs were being utilized in practice. These centered on benefits to the agency, clientele, and to the professional. The changing technological climate was shown to be impacting the delivery of services, yet professionals were underutilizing SNSs in practice. Regardless if the professional was on or offline, being recognized as a professional was extremely important. As a result, professionals were cognizant of potential consequences of using SNSs for professional and personal use. This awareness not only led professionals to want to safeguard their privacy, but also provided an opportunity for these professionals to develop guidelines for ethical digital behavior. Implications for research include exploring how a person’s digital status should be defined, if at all, how do privacy and ‘connecting’ influence each other, and what is the impact of viewing others’ posts on the ego strength of the person. The biggest implication for practice was the need for specific policies designed around professional digital behavior. In the absence of specific guidelines, professionals established their own set of rules to guide their practice. However, as more agencies and professions begin to see the need for and develop policies for SNS use, professionals will need to assimilate these new guidelines into their practice.

Cette recherche, de type exploratoire et descriptif, s’intéresse à l’expérience et au point de vue des parents à l’égard de l’implication directe de leurs enfants en médiation familiale. La méthodologie privilégiée pour réaliser cette étude est qualitative, et la perspective théorique utilisée est la phénoménologie. L’échantillon est constitué de huit parents, tous ayant participé à une entrevue semi-dirigée au sujet de l’implication de leurs enfants dans le processus de médiation familiale. Les données ont été recueillies entre le mois de mai et octobre 2013, et ont été analysées en s’appuyant sur la méthode d’analyse de contenu telle que proposée par L’Écuyer (1990) ainsi que Mayer et Deslauriers (2000). Il ressort de cette recherche que l’implication directe des enfants en médiation familiale a une influence considérable sur le processus. En effet, la majorité des participants de la présente étude ont rapporté que l’implication de leurs enfants a été déterminante afin de conclure une entente au sujet du partage des responsabilités parentales. Aussi, les résultats suggèrent que la majorité des participants ont vécu de manière positive la participation de leurs enfants et sont satisfaits des retombées de l’implication. Par contre, quelques parents ont vécu de manière négative cette expérience. De tels résultats mettent en lumière les limites et risques liés à l’implication directe des enfants en médiation familiale. De plus, les modalités d’implication choisies par les médiateurs familiaux semblent avoir influencé le vécu des parents et de leurs enfants dans le processus. Les résultats donnent également accès à la perception des parents au sujet du vécu de leurs enfants avant, pendant et après le processus d’implication. Une suggestion qui émane de cette recherche est que l’enfant, bien qu’amené à prendre parole dans la médiation familiale, ne doit pas être tenu responsable d’une décision liée au partage des responsabilités parentales. Les conclusions de ce mémoire alimentent une stratégie en médiation familiale qui est peu documentée à partir de l’expérience et du point de vue des parents. / This exploratory and descriptive research focuses on the experience and perspective of parents with regard to the direct participation of children in family mediation. To carry out this study, a qualitative research method was used and the phenomenology theoretical perspective was chosen. The sample consists of eight parents, all who participated in a semi-structured interview on the involvement of their children in family mediation. Data was collected between May and October 2013, and was analyzed based on the content analysis method as proposed by L'Ecuyer (1990) and Mayer and Deslauriers (2000). It is clear from this research that the direct involvement of children in family mediation has considerable influence on the process. Indeed, the majority of participants in this study reported that their children’s involvement was crucial to reach an agreement about shared parenting. Also, the results suggest that the majority of participants had positively experience the participation of their children and were satisfied with the benefits of the involvement. However, some parents lived this experience in a negative way. Those results highlighted the limitations and hazards associated with the direct involvement of children in family mediation. The terms of involvement chosen by family mediators also appeared to have influenced the experiences of parents and their children in the process. The results of this research provide access to the perception of parents about their children’s experiences before, during and after the process. A suggestion that comes from this study is that the child, although brought to give an opinion in family mediation, should not be held responsible for any decision related to shared parenting, for example the choice of care arrangements. The conclusions of this paper feed a family mediation strategy that is poorly documented from the point of view and experience of parents.

La recherche en santé mentale reconnaît plusieurs habiletés aux travailleurs sociaux. Cependant, lorsqu’il est question de médication, élément central du plan de traitement en santé mentale, on constate que l’on attribue surtout aux travailleurs sociaux le rôle de veiller à l’observance de ce traitement. Pourtant, la recherche scientifique montre que prendre des médicaments est une expérience complexe et comporte des impacts psychosociaux. Pour les intervenants sociaux, ce contexte constitue une opportunité d’explorer avec les personnes qu’ils accompagnent, les différentes facettes de cette expérience. Cette opportunité n’est pas seulement remarquée par les professionnels mais aussi par des voix de la marge, celles de personnes qui ont vécu un problème de santé mentale et qui ont vu la médication entrer dans leur vie. C’est à partir de cette perspective que l’approche de la Gestion autonome de la médication (GAM) a été élaborée et permet de considérer les dimensions expérientielles et psychosociales de la prise de médicaments. La GAM propose, par des pratiques d’accompagnement individuel ou de groupe, de soutenir l’usager pour qu’il puisse porter un regard critique sur sa médication, s’assurer que celle-ci soit bien au service de sa qualité de vie et apporter des changements en conséquence. Cette étude réalisée auprès de 19 intervenants sociaux ayant participé à une formation sur la GAM, s’intéresse à leurs pratiques en lien avec la médication psychiatrique et à l’accueil qu’ils ont réservé à la GAM. Un état des connaissances par rapport à l’intervention sociale et la médication y est présenté ainsi qu’une description détaillée de la GAM. Des conclusions sont tirées sur la formation GAM et sur la formation des travailleurs sociaux. / Mental health research recognizes several skills in social workers. However, when it comes to medication—fundamental element of the mental health treatment plan—one notes that social workers are mainly attributed the role of seeing to the patient’s acceptance of the treatment. And yet, scientific research shows that taking medication is a complex experience which entails psychosocial impacts. This context then presents an opportunity for social workers to explore the different facets of this experience with the people they accompany. This opportunity is not only put forth by professionals, but also by voices from the margins, those of people who have lived through a mental health problem and dealt with medication becoming a part of their lives. It is from this perspective that the Gestion autonome de la medication (GAM) approach allows to consider the experiential and psychosocial dimensions of medication-taking. Through individual intervention or group meetings, the GAM offers support to individuals taking medication in order to help them have a critical look on their medication and to furthermore ensure that the medication consumed is in the best interest of their quality of life. This study was conducted on 19 workers in the field of social intervention, who had participated in the GAM training. The goal was to learn more about their respective practices in relation to psychiatric medication as well as how the GAM has been received by them. A literature review on social intervention and medication is introduced, as well as a detailed description of the GAM. Conclusions will be elaborated on the GAM training and the professional training of social workers.