WHAT WE DOUsing an integrated affirmative research and practice framework, ARC engages in innovative research and provides training and consultation aimed at improving the mental health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, etc.) youth and young adults.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DOARC was created to bridge the research-practice divide associated with the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Combining empirical evidence, an affirmative practice framework, and decades of community-based service expertise, ARC aims to develop and disseminate LGBTQ+ affirmative practices to educators, health and mental health care providers, social workers, and policy makers across organizations and communities to create safe supportive worlds for LGBTQ+ populations. ARC’s current affirmative research initiatives also include inquiries aimed at improving social work education and health and mental health practice more broadly.
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HOW WE DO WHAT WE DOARC uses the five following strategies to advance LGBTQ+ youth and young adult wellbeing:
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Meet the team
SHELLEY CRAIGPhD, RSW, LCSW (Principal)
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ASHLEY AUSTINPhD, LCSW
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Shelley L. Craig is the Canada Research Chair for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth and a Full Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Craig has over twenty years of community-based leadership, practice and research with sexual and gender minority and marginalized populations. As a registered and licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Craig is particularly adept at creating, delivering and evaluating affirmative practice and effective services to individuals, groups and communities. Selected experiences include: Founder/ Executive Director of the Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, Executive Director of ALSO for Out Youth; Medical/health social worker in the emergency care center of a community hospital; Program Director residential services (shelter for victims of domestic violence) at Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center. Dr. Craig’s research has been funded by federal organizations such as SSHRC and CIHR. Her most recent studies have been designed to: (1) create and test community-based interventions (AFFIRM) to improve mental health and coping of SGMY; (2) understand the impact of information and communication technologies (CTs) on the resilience of SGMY (#ProjectQueery) and (3) the use of simulation to enhance the competency of health social work students. Dr. Craig is an expert in intervention research and practice with SGMY. As principal investigator she has recently tested several interventions for sexual and gender minority youth including Strengths-First, a resilience-focused case management program for youth at risk; ASSET, an empowering group intervention for SGMY delivered in school settings and AFFIRM, an affirmative cognitive-behavioural group intervention delivered in community settings that positively impacts mental and sexual health. Dr. Craig directed an extensive community research plan, as well as developed and established a multi-million dollar comprehensive service delivery system for sexual minority youth and their families. Dr. Craig is intrigued with the influence of the media on the resilience and identity of this vulnerable population and is finalizing the results of a large scale (n=6000) study investigating the impact of social and popular media on SGMY health and wellbeing. Dr. Craig has contributed to the empirical literature with over 50 peer reviewed journal articles and over 150 peer reviewed conference presentations and invited talks. Dr. Craig is an avid educator and has trained thousands of practitioners and policymakers on affirmative care for SGMY, intervention implementation as well as LGBT affirmative social work education. She has also been PI of an international study of LGBTQ students in social work programs. Dr. Craig has been honored to receive multiple awards or recognitions such as: Inspirational Social Work Leader (Ontario Association of Social Workers); Fellow, the Society for Social Work Research (SSWR); The Excellence in Research Scholarship Award from the Council of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression (CSOGIE); National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Student Social Worker of the Year; and The Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services (GLASS) National Person of Impact. |
Dr. Austin is a cisgender ally to the transgender community who engages in clinical practice, advocacy, and research aimed at promoting well-being for transgender and gender nonconforming people and their loved ones. Dr. Austin is currently a Full Professor of Social Work and the director of the Center for Human Rights and Social Justice at Barry University in Miami, FL.
As a social justice oriented researcher and practitioner, Dr. Austin is committed to engaging in research, training and advocacy that reduces stigma and promotes the well-being of marginalized populations. Dr. Austin’s research has increasingly revolved around promoting transgender-affirmative education, mental health interventions and health care. Dr. Austin is the first author of multiple publications, as well as, local, regional, and national presentations aimed at advancing affirmative approaches to health care and education for transgender children, youth, and adults. She also serves as a consultant on transgender issues across a variety of contexts including the non-profit, primary educational settings, institutions of higher education, medical settings, and corporations. Dr. Austin is actively engaged in research projects aimed at elucidating the needs and experiences of transgender youth and adults. She works collaboratively with the transgender community to ensure projects are rooted in the lived experiences of trans people and adequately give voice to these realities. These collaborative projects have resulted in numerous publications and presentations to researchers, academics, and medical and mental health professionals which advance understanding of contemporary trans lives and foster trans-affirmative attitudes, behaviors, policies, and practices. In partnership Drs. Austin and Craig developed and published the Transgender-Affirmative Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TA-CBT) model, an adapted, affirmative version of CBT which targets the specific mental health care needs of transgender clients. This model represents the first of its kind to integrate a transgender affirmative framework with empirically supported cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to address minority stress and resultant transdiagnositc mental health concerns. Dr. Austin is also actively involved in creating a community inclusive of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions. She brought events such as the Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience, and Transgender Week of Awareness to her university’s campus, and advocates for gender inclusive policies and practices at local, regional, and national levels. Finally, as a licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Austin supports gender diverse youth and adults and their loved ones through a developmentally informed, transgender affirmative practice approach. Her clinical work focuses on supporting transgender and gender nonconforming youth and their family members on their unique gender journey toward fully authentic and connected lives. |
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LAUREN B. MCINROYPhD, RSW
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ANDREW EATONPhD(c), MSW, RSW
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Lauren B. McInroy is an Assistant Professor in the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University. Lauren’s research interests include vulnerable children and adolescents, LGBTQ populations, and the developmental and social implications of offline and online media engagement and participation by youth and young adults. She is particularly interested in digital research methodologies, online fan cultures and communities, and online social advocacy movements and campaigns. Lauren’s doctoral research, completed through the Project #Queery study, considered the potential impacts of participation in online communities (particularly online fan culture) on the identity development and psycho-social well-being of LGBTQ young people.
Lauren has been a Royal Bank of Canada Graduate Fellow in Applied Social Work Research and received Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She has held an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. An active emerging scholar, Lauren has authored numerous publications and presentations. She is a newly appointed member of the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Council on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (CSOGIE). |
Andrew Eaton is a PhD candidate at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto and the ARC lab coordinator. Andrew has worked and volunteered in clinical and community-based organizations in Canada, Swaziland, and Australia. Andrew’s research is focused on engaging marginalized communities, particularly people living with HIV and LGBTQ youth, to develop evidence-based and culturally-relevant support services to improve health outcomes and emotional wellbeing. He has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN), and the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN). Andrew is currently an OHTN Endgame Leader.He has also been supported by Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and is a past recipient of a Royal Bank of Canada Graduate Fellowship in Applied Social Work Research.
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Rachael PascoeMSW, RSW
Rachael Pascoe (she/her) is a SSHRC-funded PhD student at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. She is the Clinical Evaluation Specialist for the AFFIRM project, having facilitated AFFIRM groups for two years before starting this role. Her own research involves studying a group intervention for sexual abuse prevention. Rachael has a Master of Social Work from University of Toronto and practice experience in the fields of concurrent disorders, violence prevention, and trauma-specific therapy. She has worked for Dr. Shelley Craig as an RBC Fellow since 2018 and was a student member of the first cohort of the ISTN. Rachael’s work with INQYR has involved the QueerVIEW project, interviewing queer youth’s experiences of intersectionality through photo elicitation.
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Gio IaconoPhD, MSW, RSW
Gio Iacono, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Connecticut. His areas of practice and research specialization are LGBTQ+ youth mental health, youth resilience, promoting diversity and inclusion within social work education, and mindfulness-based treatment approaches. Dr. Iacono primarily focuses on intervention and community-based participatory research. Dr. Iacono has worked as a psychotherapist, clinical social worker, educator, community organizer, and researcher in a variety of health and community-based settings. His community development work has been focused on promoting the mental and sexual health of diverse and marginalized communities. Gio has also been a mindfulness meditation practitioner for many years, and integrates mindfulness in his work as an educator, researcher and clinician.
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Sandra A. D'Souza
MPH
Sandra D'Souza is a Master of Public Health graduate specializing in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences (Health Promotion) from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto Scarborough where she double majored in Health Studies and Human Biology. Sandra’s interests in community development and health equity align perfectly with the intersectional perspective undertaken by the ARC to create interventions that address the multiple stressors LGBTQ+ youth experience. She has extensive experience working on and leading community-based projects that are driven by young adults and advocate for healthy public policy through evidence-based practice.
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Vivian leungMA, BSocSc
Vivian Leung is a Doctoral Student and Research Coordinator in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. She graduated from the University of Hong Kong (BSocSc in psychology) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (MA in social policy). Vivian’s scholarly and research interests include: youth identity development, parenting and family relationship, and stigma and discrimination. Her work mainly focuses on newcomers and racialized communities. She is a recipient of the PPEF - Dollars for Global Scholars (2017-18) and the Yip Scholarship (2016-18).
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CRESSIDA FREYMSW (c), BA
Cressida Frey is a Master of Social Work student specializing in Addictions, Health and Mental Health at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto where she focused on Sexual Diversity Studies. Her research, scholarly interests, and community work in the wellbeing of LGBTQI2S homeless youth, health equity, sexual health and reproductive rights of youth, and community responses to address and end homophobic and transphobic violence reflects the integrated affirmative research and practice framework undertaken by ARC. Cressida has extensive experience working to address the needs of LGBTQI2S homeless youth, promoting the well-being of people living HIV+, and working from an anti-psychiatry lens. She is interested in continuing this work by engaging in creative, affirmative research designed to enhance and develop LGBTQI2S youths’ resiliencies.
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SREEDEVI KRISHNAN
BSc
Sreedevi Krishnan recently just completed her undergraduate degree in Honours Psychology Co-op at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She is a Masters of Social Work student at the Factor-Inwentash program at the University of Toronto and currently works as a Research Assistant with the AFFIRM & QUEERY Team. Sreedevi looks forward to using an intersectional lens framework in her graduate studies and advance equity-based mental health programs for vulnerable populations experiencing mental health difficulties.
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EGAG EGAGHBA
Egag Egag is a Master of Social Work student at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto in the Mental Health and Health stream. He is a graduate from the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he specialized in Sociology. Prior to pursuing an MSW, Egag spent three years working in forensic psychiatry research involving immigrant and forced migrant clients in Ontario, and part of the Forensic Early Intervention Service - a collaboration between the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (OMCSCS). He is interested in working with LGBTQ2IS people (and especially those with additional lived experiences of forced migration), at the community level in ways that are affirming of their intersectionality identities. Egag is an incoming Junior Fellow at Massey College in the University of Toronto. In addition, he also is a recipient of the SSHRC Joseph Armand Bombardier Canadian Graduate Scholarship - Master's (2019-2020), and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2018-2019).
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LLOYD TWUM-SIAWBA
Lloyd Twum-Siaw recently completed an undergraduate degree double majoring in Criminology/Socio-legal Studies and Sociology at the University of Toronto. A prospective Masters of Social Work student at the Factor-Inwentash program at the University of Toronto, who currently works as a Research Assistant with the AFFIRM & QUEERY Team and a Residential Counselor to homeless youth. Lloyd’s future endeavors include: addressing issues of perpetual homelessness among youth; assuaging relations between minority ethnic groups and police; and improving the well-being of poverty-stricken families.
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AMELIA MURPHY-BEAUDOINBSW
Amelia Murphy-Beaudoin is a Research Assistant with ARC, primarily working with the AFFIRM team. She is currently a Master of Social Work student specializing in Health and Mental Health at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Ryerson University. Amelia’s scholarly interests include the integration of neuroscience and social work practice, healthcare system transformation and equity, and the social and structural determinants of health impacting LGBTQ+ youth particularly in rural communities. Amelia’s social work practice is rooted in an anti-oppressive, decolonizing framework and reflective of her values of solidarity, curiosity, learning, and respect. She is committed to working to elevate the provision of dignified, inclusive mental health and health care in the emerging field of social work.
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Minnie H. CuiBA
Minnie H. Cui currently is a Research Assistant at the Bank of Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics. She is interested in research that aim to evaluate the significance of global economic policies on the marginalization of certain populations. Her paper, Does corruption differentially impact the productivity of female-managed microenterprises? A study of Latin America and the Caribbean, won the 2018 Bank of Canada & Canadian Economics Association Best Research Paper Award. In the near future, Minnie will be assisting the implementation of an indigenous education intervention in Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Alexa Kirkland
MSW, RSW
Alexa Kirkland (she/her) is a Research Assistant with the Affirmative Research Collaborative. She graduated with a Master of Social Work degree (Mental Health and Health) from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. Before starting her MSW studies, Alexa worked in Kingston where she facilitated groups and provided individualized support for youth and adults with intellectual disabilities. Alexa also volunteered with a 2SLGBTQ+ group which served youth in the Kingston community and surrounding rural areas. Currently, she provides remote single session counselling and crisis services. Alexa values inclusion, self-determination, empowerment, and meaningful participation for all. She is committed to self-reflexive lifelong learning and strongly believes in the work that the Affirmative Research Collaborative continues to do as they close the gap between research and practice.
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Maria Staszkiewicz
Maria Staszkiewicz is a Research Assistant at ARC and an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto. She is pursuing a double major in Public Policy and Peace, Conflict and Justice, while engaging in a range of activities and groups on campus. Maria has worked and volunteered with non-governmental organizations in Canada and Poland. She hopes to continue supporting marginalized communities after graduation. Maria is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to research. Her studies combine fields such as Political Science, Economics, and Sociology. Although still in the early stages of her involvement with social work and policy research, she has been awarded a scholarship to Pearson United World College, which she attended for two years before matriculating at UofT.
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Jenny hui
MSW
Jenny is a research assistant with the Affirmative Research Collaborative. She works and has worked on a variety of projects with both ARC and INQYR (including Project #Queery), and is a member of the International Student Training Network’s second cohort. Currently, Jenny is pursuing a Master of Arts in Counselling and Clinical Psychology at OISE (University of Toronto), with a research and clinical focus on the intersections between racial and gender/sexual identities. She is passionate about social justice and literature and how the two build on each other; if she isn’t reading a young adult novel or activist’s memoir, you can find her catching up with friends over bubble tea. |
