By: Erica Manuel Immigration is a major part of Canada’s identity, with many believing that immigrants make a positive contribution to the economy and society. However, when it comes to accessing social services, not all immigrants are treated equally. A recent study "Canadian social workers’ attitudes toward immigrants with different legal statuses in Canada" surveyed Canadian social workers to understand their attitudes toward different types of immigrants, permanent residents (PR),... Read More about Social Work and Immigration: Who Gets Access, and Who Gets Left Behind?

Olivia Palermo Peng, Y., & Ishak, Z. (2025). Self-compassion as a mediator of attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and complex PTSD in college students with adverse childhood experiences. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 786. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84947-3Read More about The Power of Self-Compassion: A Key to Overcoming Childhood Trauma

Understanding Trauma in the Youth Violence has emotional and psychological consequences for youths who have either been a direct victim or have witnessed a violent event. Unaddressed trauma may lead to depression, anxiety, behavioural issues, and academic struggles. A tool developed by Flannery et al., that is used to assess trauma is called the Violence Exposure and Trauma Screener for Youth (VETSY). The... Read More about Breaking the Cycle: How the Exposure of Violence Shapes Youth’s Trauma

By: Maddie Price The Issue Social assistance and social services are an integral part of supporting vulnerable members of our community. The current method of distribution for payments for people on social assistance is a once monthly payment. There are many issues with these services, including the schedule of payment distribution which causes issues for both the service users and the social services that support them and their needs.  This issue is exacerbated for people who... Read More about Re-thinking Income Assistance: What Happens When the Timing of Income Assistance Payments Change?

Hello, amazing readers! Today, we will talk about an extremely important topic: the wonderful tie of trust between parents and children. It's a game-changer in mental health! What is trust? You're a teenager, and you know that no matter what issues you face, your parents will stand with you and help you solve them. That heartwarming, cozy feeling? That's trust. It is to believe that your parents believe in you, support you, love you, value you and understand you. Photo 1 Read More about Building Trust: The Secret to Happy Family Bonds and Healthy Minds

As TMU students, we can’t avoid dealing with a few things: tests, deadlines, getting lost in Kerr Hall, and walking by homeless people. Seeing homeless folks near campus might spark different feelings in us: curiosity, disgust, judgment, discomfort, you name it. Don’t worry; I am not here to judge because these are all valid feelings. Homelessness is a complicated topic. Many people still believe that someone ends up being homeless simply due to laziness, mental illness, drug addiction,... Read More about Maybe We’re Wrong: When Helping Makes Things Worse

McGookin, Naomi Katie. “‘KNOCK NOC’—Non-Offending Carers Experiences with Social Work in the Aftermath of Internet-Based Child Sexual Abuse.” The British Journal of Social Work, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcae165. https://torontomu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01OCUL_TMU/u5fb3c/cdi_crossref_primary_10_1093_bjsw_bcae165 KNOCK NOC provides an... Read More about Innocent Yet Accused: Understanding Non-Offending Carer’s Burdens

To all future and current social workers out there! In the article “Discretion and strategies for investigating child abuse, social workers’ conceptions of child Abuse Investigations and Police Reporting” (Chön, Heimer, Linnell, Ufford 2024). Swedish social services workers are working together with parents and children to address the complex issues around child abuse. The approaches and strategies used in the Swedish child welfare system may not cater to a child’s needs but... Read More about Social Work Conceptions , Strategies & Police Reporting

By: Jessica Ang As social workers, we see firsthand how childhood experiences shape emotional development. But when it comes to empathy, the connection isn't simple. Does experiencing abuse or neglect make children less empathetic, or does it heighten their ability to sense others' pain? The article Read More about Does Childhood Maltreatment Reduce or Increase Empathy? What Social Workers Need to Know

Maxwell Garganta https://markallenassets.blob.core.windows.net/communitycare/2018/01/antic-fotolia.jpg Shifts regarding the youth’s perspective about the nature of Social work Within our society, many youth engaged within social services have a negative understanding and perspective of this system. This stems from the dominant colonial and white narratives that negatively... Read More about Improving children’s perceptions of social services: educational interventions within schools?