Browsing by Author "Mudry, Tanya"
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- ItemOpen AccessArts-based engagement ethnography with newcomer youth in Canada: Learning from their experiences.(2020-06-12) Smith, Danielle J.; Kassan, Anusha; Domene, José, F.; Mudry, Tanya; Zhao, Xu; Roy, SylvieNewcomer youth experience unique challenges when integrating into high schools in their host countries. As newcomer communities grow across Canada, high schools are faced with the increased challenge of meeting their needs. Schools are often the first point of contact for newcomer youth, and their experiences of school integration can directly impact other aspects of their integration experience, including mental and physical health, relationships with friends and family, and the ability to fit into broader society. This research started with the question: How do newcomer youth experience school integration following migration to Canada? Using an art-based engagement ethnography (ABEE), coupled with a social justice framework, our aim was to capture newcomer youth’s experiences of school integration in order to identify ways in which schools, teachers, and practitioners, as well as the broader education system, could better support these students. Using cultural probes (e.g., maps, journals, cameras), qualitative interviews, and focus groups, four participants documented their everyday experiences of school integration. An ethnographic analysis of these materials revealed three interconnected structures (challenges to school integration; responses and resiliencies in the face of challenges, and; understanding of identity during school integration) as well as specific recommendations from participants for improving the experiences of other newcomer students. These are conveyed in two manuscripts that together give both a nuanced look into the experiences of newcomer students and suggestions for practitioners and policy makers who wish to support these youth.
- ItemOpen AccessBehaviour is in the Practice: Examining Excessive Behaviours using a Practice Framework(2016) Mudry, Tanya; Strong, Tom; Hodgins, David; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Saah, Rebecca; Hoskins, MarieThe concept of “addictive” or excessive behaviours (EBs) has become an object of discussion, treatment, scientific investigation, and controversy. Much of the current research on EBs has utilized an etiological biomedical disease model for understanding EBs, with little focus on the actual practices of EBs, the relational trajectories sustaining EBs, and everyday lives in which EBs are enacted. In this dissertation I conceptualized EBs using a practice framework to show how EBs are reproduced, relationally grounded, and situated in practice networks in everyday life. A practice framework enabled me zoom in to the particularities of the practice, to understand the complex trajectories within the process – and zoom out to see the larger networks of practices influencing and sustaining the practice. Through this research, I also learned about participants’ co-occurring recovery practices that furnished preferred networks of practices. I analyzed 15 participant interviews using a focused ethnographic approach (Higginbottom, 2013; Knoblauch, 2005) and drew from practice theory (e.g., Kemmis, Edwards-Groves, Wilkinson, & Hardy, 2012; Nicolini, 2013; Schatzki, 2012), discursive research (Berger & Luckmann, 1966; Potter, 1997), positioning theory (Harré & van Langenhove, 1991), research in affective embodied practices (Lock, 1993; Wetherell, 2012), and Actor Network Theory (Latour, 2005). Based on this analysis, I depicted how food options, Internet features, game and phone design (“things”) played an integral role in the trajectories of EB practices. I illustrated how ability, availability, and the presence of people (“place”) were practice-contingent. I discerned discourses (superstition, normativity, addiction) that were reported important for enacting, explaining, directing, and resisting EB practices. Finally, I attended to larger networks of component practices, to map out the various other life practices that facilitate, support, sustain, or restrict and block EBs. In addition, I shared the intentional and naturally occurring recovery practices which participants engaged. This study offers contributions to addiction theory and research, and counselling practice.
- ItemOpen AccessCo-Constructing COVID-19: Learning Relational Practices From Families Facing a Global Pandemic(2024-07-05) Stone, Jezzamyn Malia; Mudry, Tanya; Mendaglio, Salvatore; Moules, NancyDuring the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, families around the world experienced a cascade of unanticipated changes to their daily living. The effects of a disaster event, such as a pandemic, can contribute to a decline in mental and/or relational health, and the family system has the potential to promote recovery and resilience by buffering such risks. Despite the surge of research on the pandemic since 2020, much of the literature about disaster events (the pandemic included) tend to focus on the individual, lacking representation of the family system. In addition, practical resources targeting post-disaster recovery is limited, including guidance for families and mental health practitioners who support families. The purpose of this research was to: (a) better understand families’ relational experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic by nature of their interpersonal patterns; (b) expand the empirical representation of pragmatic, family-focused research on natural disasters from a systems and social constructionist lens; and (c) disseminate practical knowledge, information, and resources to support family recovery and therapeutic intervention following disaster. I conducted virtual, multi-member family interviews with six families from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and surrounding areas within the first year of the pandemic. Drawing from family systems theory and social constructionism, I integrated the IPscope, a family therapy tool for assessment and intervention, with interpretive description as a method for data construction and analysis. Based on the findings, I constructed two conceptual models of families’ interpersonal patterns during the pandemic that demonstrate the benefits of the family system in navigating a disaster event.
- ItemOpen Access“Counselling Made Me a Better Muslim”: The Counselling Experiences of Muslim Clients in Western Canada(2021-09-20) Taha, Walaa; Domene, José; Mudry, Tanya; Zaidi, RahatAs the Muslim population increases in Canada, there is a growing need for culturally responsive counselling services that consider the values and challenges of this group. This includes being aware of and understanding the diverse cultural identities of Muslims, the Islamic faith, and the impacts of various sociopolitical factors on Muslim clients’ lives. Previous studies have explored the role of spirituality/religion in clients’ lives, and there is some research providing guidelines for practitioners who work with Muslims; however, there is a paucity of research directly examining counselling experiences of Muslim clients, particularly in a Canadian context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants, 22–30 years old, who identified as practicing Muslims from varying cultural and educational backgrounds. Analysis of the interviews resulted in the development of four overarching categories into which 11 themes and 32 sub-themes were organized: (a) contextual factors and systemic considerations, (b) accessing mental health services, (c) process and outcomes of counselling, and (e) Islam and counselling. Findings and discussion include reflections on Islamophobia and racism, decolonizing mental health and counselling, as well as the need to return to Indigenous Islamic approaches (Islamic psychology). This involves the need for counsellors to advocate for and address systemic challenges faced by Muslim clients and the Muslim community at large. Implications for counsellor education and training as well as for community leaders/organizations are presented.
- ItemOpen AccessThe COVID-19 Pandemic and Tokyo Olympic Games Postponement: Athlete Resilience and Mental Health(2021-08-03) Rogers, Morgan Christine; Werthner, Penny; Bridel, William; Paskevich, David; Mudry, TanyaThe COVID-19 global pandemic, at the time of writing this thesis, is creating unprecedented challenges globally. In the world of high-performance sport, as a result of the pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympic Games were postponed for one year. Nevertheless, the pandemic, combined with the Olympic postponement, provides a unique opportunity to study athlete experiences using the construct of psychological resilience, which has been associated with performance success and positive mental health outcomes and is defined as an individual’s ability to adapt positively to adversity (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2013). The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of Canadian athletes preparing for the Tokyo summer Olympic Games during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Canadian athletes who were training for the Olympic games in both individual and team sports. Athletes spoke of how they experienced and managed the pandemic and developed resilience, and their stories highlight the complex nature of managing adversity. In the narrative manuscript, the stories from eight participants are presented to illustrate four narrative types: the critical role of context, the essential nature of social support, the importance of developing multiple identities and being more than an athlete, and the relevance of deeply reflecting on one’s life. An athlete’s personal context, such as Olympic qualification, stage of their career, physical and mental health, and access to resources influenced how they lived their narrative, highlighting the importance of considering both individual and environmental factors in relation to resilience. Current research highlights that the development of resilience can support an athlete’s mental health and the results from the narrative manuscript in this thesis underscore the importance of a high-performance sport environment that not only provides strong social support but is also structured to nurture athlete mental health. Therefore, the second paper builds on this notion of a high-performance sport environment that is psychologically safe and mentally healthy by creating a working definition of a mentally healthy high-performance sport environment and outlining how the sport psychology practitioner can support the coach, athlete, and support staff in ensuring such an environment.
- ItemOpen AccessLike Mother, Like Daughter? Understanding Maternal Experiences of Intending to End the Intergenerational Transmission of Body Dissatisfaction to Daughters(2024-03-08) Brun, Isabel; Russell-Mayhew, Michelle; Mudry, Tanya; Moules, Nancy; Laing, Catherine; Grimwood, TomAddressing a critical gap in existing literature, this study ventures into the relatively unexplored domain of mothers' experiences of intending to prevent the passing of body dissatisfaction to daughters. In a society where thinness is often idealized, this research underscores the critical need to delve into the complex and nuanced experiences of mothers endeavouring to cultivate healthier body image for their daughters. Utilizing hermeneutic research methods, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven mothers, each navigating their own struggles with body image while being fiercely determined to protect their daughters from similar challenges. This study sought to understand the varied experiences of these mothers, exploring both the hurdles they faced and the triumphs they achieved. The findings illuminate the profound complexities inherent in the mother-daughter dynamic, particularly under the weight of societal expectations regarding body image. The insights gleaned from participant interviews underscore an urgent call for robust support systems for these mothers. Drawing upon the methodologies of Feminist Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, as well as family therapy, the findings of this study suggest a comprehensive approach, providing mothers with vital tools and psychological support. The suggested strategies are designed to empower mothers to effectively tackle their own body image concerns, while simultaneously shaping their daughters' attitudes and perceptions about their bodies. Moreover, this research envisions broader societal implications—paving the way for a new societal norm that embraces diverse body images and ideals. Altogether, the findings of this research transcend the realms of academia, offering significant insights for both ongoing research and clinical practice. This study highlights the imperative for tailored strategies and interventions that enable mothers to disrupt the cycle of intergenerational body dissatisfaction. Serving as a rallying cry for a more profound, empathetic understanding and fostering of healthier body images across generations, this research spotlights the crucial role of mothers in forging a future where body satisfaction is celebrated and normalized.
- ItemOpen AccessMaintaining the Couple within the Family: Exploring Relationship Actions and Projects during the Transition to Parenthood(2022-09-19) Campbell, Anastasia K.; Domene, José; Chang, Jeff; Mudry, TanyaContextual Action Theory (CAT) was used to guide an exploratory qualitative study of first-time parents’ relational experiences of transitioning to parenthood. The Action-Project Method (A-PM) was used to address the specific research questions “what kinds of projects for future life together do adult couples jointly construct as they transition from partners to parents?” and “what are the joint actions of these couples as they construct and pursue these projects?” Situated in the field of counselling psychology, this body of work integrates research and practical implications. Manuscript 1 contributes to the methodological literature by describing for the first time how the A-PM can be adapted to conduct research online. Findings from Manuscript 2 reveal specific relationship projects and actions from five couples in the process of becoming parents for the first time. Manuscript 3 highlights both the positive and negative impacts of COVID-19 on the ways in which couples nurture their mutual relationship as they have their first child together. Taken together, findings from this dissertation contribute to the couple and family relations literature by shedding light on both partners’ observed interactions and qualitative accounts of their relational experiences three-to-six months following the birth of their first child. This work offers methodological and conceptual advancements in the field of counselling psychology, which will continue to encourage advancements in both research and clinical practice.
- ItemOpen AccessSocial Work and Psychedelics: Practice and Perspectives in Canada: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study(2024-07-04) Koenig, Lorena Letitia; Sesma Vazquez, Monica; Burns, Victoria Frances; Mudry, TanyaPsychedelics are compounds with exceptional properties. These substances have gained significant attention recently for their potential as therapeutic agents. There now exists a growing body of evidence demonstrating the safety of a variety of psychedelics as well as establishing their efficacy in short-and long-term therapeutic applications, including treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder, end-of-life psychological distress, tobacco addiction, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse disorders. As a result, the use of psychedelics is becoming a salient topic within the mental health field, where social workers may be positioned to provide psychedelic-assisted therapy or work with clients who are accessing psychedelics and require support. This poses unique challenges and opportunities for the profession and social workers. The role of social workers in the psychedelic field is not well understood. This multiple case study explores how Canadian social workers engage with therapeutic psychedelics in their professional practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two participants. Content and thematic analyses were used for a within and cross-case data analysis. The study indicated that social workers are using therapeutic psychedelics within the boundaries of existing regulations. They are taking diverse approaches, such as harm reduction and substance-specific interventions. Their motivations for using psychedelics include addressing limitations in standard trauma treatments and aligning with personal and professional values. Recommendations for promoting ethical practice suggest robust training programs, regular clinical supervision, and the importance of community building among practitioners. The results of this study highlight considerations for how psychedelic treatment methods can be integrated into the field of social work.
- ItemOpen Access“There's no one-size-fits-all solution for opioid use:” A Situational Analysis Exploring Opioid Use and the Opioid Crisis(2022-06-30) Sapoznikow, Avery J.; Mudry, Tanya; Lacerda-Vandenborn, Elisa; Alonso Yáñez, GabrielaCanada is currently in the midst of an ongoing war on drugs and poisoning crisis, otherwise known as the Opioid Crisis. Overdoses and deaths are occurring across the country in all provinces and territories. The situation of opioid use and the Opioid Crisis is wrought with conflicts, tensions, and complexity. To best understand the complexity of opioid use and the Opioid Crisis, the perspectives of self-identified former opioid users were collected through a survey (n=83) and follow up interviews (n=6). Situational Analysis (SA) was used to analyze the data to elucidate and explore the complexity of opioid use and the Opioid Crisis from the perspectives of self-identified former opioid users. Multiple iterations of visual maps were created to display the complexity of the situation and outline various perspectives and contests of former opioid users. Through the analytic mapping of participant data, I identified human and non-human elements related to opioid use and the Opioid Crisis. This includes sites of tension such as the morality and utility of opioid use, the causality of the Opioid Crisis, and approaches to recovery from opioid use. I review these findings within the context of the current literature and consider the implications of the results in terms of impacts on opioid users, policy, and counselling practice.
- ItemOpen AccessTough Talks: An Action-Project Method Analysis of Parent-Child Conversations about Military Life(2023-09-15) Bonneville, Dominique Ashley; Domene, José; Mudry, Tanya; Schwartz, KellyMilitary service can have significant impacts on the entire family system, including frequent relocations, parental deployments, and constant adjustments in family dynamics and support networks. Civilian spouses often bear the burden of managing childcare, family matters, and household responsibilities during deployments. Military-connected children face unique circumstances that can impact their development and social-emotional wellbeing. The functioning and wellbeing of military spouses and their children are largely interconnected, and communication between spouses and their children can play a vital role in shaping children’s ability to cope with and understand military life. Nonetheless, there is relatively little previous research on this topic. In this study, I utilized the action-project method (A-PM) to explore the following question “How do military spouses communicate with their middle school-aged children about the realities of military life?” I conducted video-assisted qualitative interviews with five military spouses and their children from across Canada. A consensus-based qualitative analysis grounded within Contextual Action Theory revealed several projects, actions, and supplementary themes throughout within- and cross-case analyses. Common projects across the parent-child dyads included: (a) fostering closeness and connection within the family; (b) creating shared understandings of military life; and (c) imagining and planning for the future related to relocation and deployment. Additionally, the cross-case analysis revealed nine common patterns of actions that families engaged in as they navigated conversations about military life. Finally, five salient supplementary themes emerged from the cross-case analysis. These findings provide insight into how families navigate unique stressors, make sense of their shared experiences, and bring forth innovative coping strategies. Considerations for those engaging in counselling work alongside military families are discussed.
- ItemOpen Access“We Stick Out Our Tongues” De-essentializing for Decolonization: A Storywork Study on Indigenous Relationality(2021-07-26) Minet, Chantai Michelle; Fellner, Karlee; Mudry, Tanya; Wada, Kaori; Domene, Jose; Hanson, AubreyFor Indigenous people, one of the most powerful acts of decolonization is reclaiming who we are and sharing our stories with the world. Indigenous relationality describes who we are in relation to all of creation. Our relationality is diverse, multifaceted, and inappropriately underrepresented in literature. To date, much of the literature aiming to guide work with Indigenous people is essentializing, reducing Indigenous relationality into pan-Indigenous or uniform formulas that are inaccurate and harmful. This research directly addresses the issue of essentialization through exploring relationality. From an Indigenous (Lingít) research paradigm, I use Indigenous Storywork (ISW) to explore and amplify four Indigenous graduate students’ diverse experiences of their Indigenous relationality. Our filmed research conversations, stories, and poetry took on a life of their own, leading to a collective meaning-making circle and reciprocity poetry as an expression of Indigenous relationality. This study provides insight around the construction and preservation of Indigenous relationality and addresses the essential role of reciprocity within Indigenous relationality. This study is a courageous, decolonizing, reciprocity effort that honours our Indigenous relationality and our respective Indigenous and academic communities. This study responds to the recommendations made in Psychology’s Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Report, and creates space for reclamation, reconciliatory conversations, and social change.
- ItemOpen Access“We’re all still in it, and we’re all still there . . . supporting each other.” Examining Critical Care nurses’ descriptions of social support, burnout, and recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.(2023-09-19) Fillion, Chantal; Mudry, Tanya; Mudry, Tanya; Domene, José; Kendrick, AstridThe COVID-19 pandemic introduced complex challenges for Critical Care (CC) nurses, including unsustainable workloads, heightened exposure to secondary trauma, unpredictable work environments, and other significant personal and professional challenges. Rates of burnout and job attrition have reached concerning heights, indicating a need for change in our healthcare system. Social bonds are crucial for wellbeing and survival and can be deepened or compromised in the high-stress environments and changing social landscapes which have resulted from the pandemic. The following research question guided this research: how did CC nurses describe social support as helping or hindering to burnout and recovery while working the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic? I conducted this study as a secondary analysis of interviews investigating what helped and hindered CC nurses’ experiences of burnout and recovery during the pandemic. Using reflexive thematic analysis (RTA), I constructed five main themes (institutional neglect, opposition from the public, strained personal relationships, empathetic bonding among CC nurses, and accessing effective professional support). These themes enhance our understanding of the complexity of CC nurses’ experiences and elucidate the role of social support. In connection with the key findings from this study, I identified several considerations for preventing and mitigating burnout and promoting recovery within a social ecological framework.
- ItemOpen AccessWhen the Professional Gets Personal: Teachers’ Experiences of Learning About Weight-Neutral Approaches to School Health Promotion(2024-05-22) Williams, Lindsay; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Mudry, Tanya; Danyluk, PatriciaHealth promotion is commonly carried out in schools. While school health promotion may aim to support health in a holistic way, it often reflects a weight-centric approach that places undue emphasis on body weight as the primary focus. As weight-centric approaches to health carry risks for student and teacher health and wellbeing, some schools are adopting a weight-neutral approach that supports health for people of all body sizes. Teachers are at the forefront of the shift to a weight-neutral approach in schools, and as a result, professional learning (PL) initiatives have been developed to help them make this change. Shifting to a weight-neutral approach to health may require significant changes in teachers’ personal beliefs about weight and health, and the personal impact of weight-neutral PL has implications for both teacher wellbeing and teachers’ ability to convey a weight-neutral approach effectively with students. In this qualitative study, I aimed to understand the influence of a PL series about weight-neutral approaches to health on teachers’ personal relationships with their bodies and health. Eleven teachers who completed a weight-neutral PL series were interviewed about their experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis (rTA) of the data revealed that participants became more aware of how their past experiences were shaped by a weight-centric approach to health; experienced a new, more weight-neutral way of relating to their bodies; and conceived of ways to maintain and advocate for a weight-neutral approach to health in the future. These findings are discussed in light of their implications for teacher wellbeing, future weight-neutral PL initiatives, and counselling psychology practice.