Completed Theses

The following are theses that our PhD students have completed from 1999 to the present. To view a particular thesis, click on it's title.

2018

Isabel Lanteigne (New Brunswick)
Thesis Name: The International Field Placement Experience: A Continuous Process with Learning Moments and Outcomes
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Dominique Mercure (Laurentian University), Dr. Paul Adjei, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch

Debashis Dutta (Ontario)
Convocation: Jun-18
Thesis Name: It’s the Same Rain: Using the Interpretative Phenomenelogical Approach to Explore Parenting Experiences of Bengali Speaking Immigrants to Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. John Graham (University of BC), Dr. Gail Wideman, Dr. Sulaimon Giwa


2017

Jason Albert (Martensville, SK)
Convocation: Oct-17
Thesis Name: Indigenous Social Work Administration
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Glen Schmidt (School of SW of Northern BC), Dr. Heather Hair, Dr. Sylvia Moore

Christiana MacDougall Fleming (New Brunswick)
Convocation: May-17
Thesis Name: A Social Work Exploration of Distress in Childbirth
Supervisor: Dr. Heather Hair
Examiners: Dr. Gina Wong (Athabasca University), Dr. Gail Wideman, Dr. Sonja Boon

Ruth Parsons (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Convocation: May-17
Thesis Name: Identifying Therapeutic Change Processes in the Treatment of Complex Trauma
Supervisor: Dr. Dennis Kimberley
Examiners: Dr. Alan McLuckie (University of Calgary), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Kathy Sitter


2016

Lynn Barry (British Columbia)
Convocation: Oct-16
Thesis Name: Social workers’ knowledge of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD): Implications for assessment practices with mothers
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Kathleen Sitter, Dr. Pam Miller (University of Victoria)


2015

Elizabeth Patterson Roe (Ohio, USA)
Convocation: Oct-15
Thesis Name: Exploring the influence of international social work practicums on career choices and practice approaches
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Rebecca Davis, (Rutgers University, NJ), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. Delores Mullings

Derek Chechak (Ontario)
Convocation: May-15
Thesis Name: Professional dissonance as a predictor of job dissatisfaction and psychological distress among social work professionals: A cumulative risk model
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Stephen Ellenbogen, Dr. Melissa Floyd-Pickard (University of North Carolina)

Sheri M. McConnell (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Convocation: May-15
Thesis Name: What happens after children tell? A qualitative analysis of narratives of women who as children disclosed intra-familial sexual abuse
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Ramona Alaggia (University of Toronto), Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch, Dr. Brenda LeFrancois


2014

Christina Harrington (Ontario)
Convocation: Oct-14
Thesis Name: Living with the loss of Canada’s fallen soldiers: A qualitative study of family members’ experiences following deaths in combat
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Elizabeth Dow (University of Fraser Valley, BC), Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Michelle Sullivan


2013

Linda L. Fehr (Alberta)
Convocation: Oct-13
Thesis Name: The meaning of social justice to social work students
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Campbell (Dalhousie University), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Ken Barter

Carole R. Mayer (Ontario)
Convocation: Oct-13
Thesis Name: Younger women’s experiences with distress at time of breast biopsy and diagnosis
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Jon Church, Dr. Shirley Solberg, Dr. Julianne Oktay (University of Maryland)


2011

Susan Hillock (British Columbia)
Convocation: May-11
Thesis Name: Conceptualizing oppression – resistance narratives for social work
Supervisor: Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox
Examiners: Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. David Gil, Dr. Ben Carniol

Raymond Neckoway (Ontario)
Convocation: Oct-11
Thesis Name: The role of culture in parenting: Some Ojibway parents’ perspectives
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Norm Garlie


2010

Gail Wideman (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Convocation: Oct-10
Thesis Name: Strengthening rural social work practice with older persons: the relevance of intermediate resources in one Newfoundland community
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Patricia MacKenzie (University of Victoria), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Ken Barter


2009

Gail Zuk (Alberta)
Convocation: May-09
Thesis Name: Honoring the subjective: an exploration of the self-reflexive portfolio in social work education
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Sharon Taylor, Dr. Linda Turner (St. Thomas University), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox

John Francis Ostrander (British Columbia)
Convocation: May-09
Thesis Name: Self-determination meanings in concurrent disorders treatment and recovery experiences: A qualitative study
Supervisor: Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Tracey Swan, Dr. John McDonald
Examiners: Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. John McDonald, Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. George Hurley


2008

Bernadette Gallagher (Ontario)
Convocation: Oct-08
Thesis Name: Adjusting the lens: Parents create change in Ontario’s child protection system
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Faye Murrin, Prof. Rosamund Thorpe (James Cook University, Australia), Dr. Mike Devine, Dr. Dennis Kimberley

Eveline J. Milliken (Manitoba)
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Name: Toward cultural safety: An exploration of the concept for social work education with Canadian Aboriginal peoples
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell
Examiners: Dr. Valli Kalei Kanuha, Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Janet Fitzpatrick

Karen Pollett (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Name: Social work knowledge, values, and skills: Improving services to parental caregivers of persons with developmental disabilities
Supervisor: Dr. Janet Fitzpatrick
Examiners: Dr. Charles Malsbury, Dr. Carol Baines (Ryerson University), Dr. Michelle Sullivan, Dr. William Kennedy

Suzanne McKenzie-Mohr (New Brunswick)
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Name: Out from beyond trauma: Women’s experiences of the process from rape to living well
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Catrina Brown (Dalhousie University), Dr. Michelle Sullivan, Dr. Morgan Gardner

Marion Isabel Brown (Nova Scotia)
Convocation: May-08
Thesis Name: She hits like a girl: Contexts and constructs of femininity, use of violence and living in group homes
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Meda Chesney-Lind (University of Hawaii), Dr. Tracy Swan, Dr. Morgan Gardner (Education)


2007

Anna M. Scheyett (North Carolina, USA)
Convocation: Oct-07
Thesis Name: Clinician impact on consumer decisions regarding psychiatric advance directives
Supervisor: Dr. Shelly Bernie-Lefcovitch
Examiners: Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Peter Cornish

Patricia A. Robinson (Florida, USA)
Convocation: May-07
Thesis Name: Mental health research: A path to personal, interpersonal, and political change for participant researchers?
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch, Dr. Janet Fitzpatrick, Dr. Mark Salzer


2006

Michael C. Devine (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Convocation: Oct-06
Thesis Name: Social worker participation in organizational change: Input, impacts and commitment
Supervisor: Dr. Dennis Kimberley
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Hurley, Dr. Roger Delaney (Lakehead University), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. Bruce Sheppard

Judy E. MacDonald (Nova Scotia)
Convocation: Oct-06
Thesis Name: Untold stories: Women, in the helping professions, as sufferers of chronic pain (re)storying (dis)ability
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Tanya Titchkosky (St. Francis Xavier University), Dr. Sandra M. LeFort, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch


2005

David Tranter (Ontario)
Convocation: May-05
Thesis Name: Different than dad: A phenomenological exploration of masculine gender role strain
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Richard Jones (Marquette), Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Ted Hannah


2003

Claude A. Olivier (New Brunswick)
Convocation: May-04
Thesis Name: Relationships between income level and work, service use, and informal relations among people living with HIV/AIDS
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Neree St-Amand (University of Ottawa), Dr. Ian Bowmer, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch

Lena Williams-Carawan (North Carolina, USA)
Convocation: May-04
Thesis Name: Listening to the voices of the fishing people: How fishers make sense of their lives in today’s world
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell
Examiners: Dr. Donna Lee Davis (University of South Dakota), Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Sharon Taylor

Carolyn Campbell (Nova Scotia)
Convocation: Oct-03
Thesis Name: Struggling for congruency: Principles and practices of anti-oppressive social work pedagogy
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners: Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Lena Dominelli (University of Southhampton, UK)

Mary L. McCarthy (New York, USA)
Convocation: May-03
Thesis Name: The relationship between supervision and casework retention in county-based child welfare systems
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Chet Jablonski, Dr. Stephen Burghardt (City University of NY), Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Helen Ball

Mary I. Armstrong (Florida, USA)
Convocation: May-03
Thesis Name: An empirical study: A model of the pathways between social support, family well-being, parenting quality, and child resilience
Supervisor: Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Smith (University of Albany), Dr. Ross Klein, Dr. Janet Fizpatrick, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch


2002

Glen G. Schmidt (British Columbia)
Convocation: Nov-02
Thesis Name: How long are you staying? Retention of social workers in Northern child welfare practice
Supervisor: Dr. Ross Klein
Examiners: Dr. Alice Gaudine, Dr. Michael Kimzapf University of Calgary), Dr. JoAnne Zampa

Linda Turner (New Brunswick)
Convocation: Oct-02
Thesis Name: Dimensions of creativity in generalist social work practice: constructions and retiring practitioners
Supervisor: Dr. Ken Barter
Examiners: Dr. Anne Westhues (Wilfred Laurier), Dr. Helen Ball, Dr. Nancy Sullivan, Dr. Ken Barter

Judith M. Dunlop (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Convocation: Oct-02
Thesis Name: Managerial perceptions of local collaboration: The Ontario Healthy Babies/Healthy Children example
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella
Examiners:Dr. Sally Palmer, (McMaster University), Dr. Donna Hardy-Cox, Dr. Shirley Solberg, Dr. Leslie Bella


2000

Mary A. Altpeter (North Carolina, USA)
Convocation: Oct-00
Thesis Name: Breast cancer, cultural beliefs and rural women: Racial and age differences in intentions to seek care
Supervisor: Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Frank Hawkins, Dr. James Mitchell
Examiners: Dr. Abraham Ross, Dr. Lynn Videka-Sherman (University of Albany), Dr. Ken Barter, Dr. Shelly Birnie-Lefcovitch

Rosemary A. Clews (New Brunswick)
Convocation: May-00
Thesis Name: Enriching anti-racist social work curriculum – sensitizing concepts from New Brunswick
Supervisor: Dr. Leslie Bella, Dr. Joan Pennell, Dr. Leslie Brown
Examiners: Dr. Alan Whittick, Dr. Neree St-Amand, (University of Ottawa), Dr. Michael Ungar, Dr. Lan Gien


1999

Janet M. Fitzpatrick (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Convocation: May-99
Thesis Name: Patient-based outcomes: Older adults’ perceptions of hospital and recovery experiences
Supervisor: Dr. William Rowe, Dr. Mary Valentich (Calgary), Dr. Christine Way
Examiners: Dr. Carolyn Pepter (McGill), Dr. Frank Hawkins, Dr. Dennis Kimberley, Dr. Elizabeth Dow