multicoloured profiles of people

Social Work Day 2025

Each year, the School of Social Work organizes the Social Work Day. Lectures, roundtables, workshops and other activities are organized around a theme determined by an organizing committee made up of students, other members of the school, and the community. The goal of this day is to enhance the student experience outside the classroom, and to create a space for exchange, awareness raising and mobilization concerning the different realities of social work, particularly in French Ontario.

Creative practices: the art of reinventing Social Work

Save the date! Wednesday, March 19, 2025, FSS 4007

Description of activities

Social Work students, the Association of Social Work students and the School of Social Work invite you to participate in the various activities organized as part of the University of Ottawa's Social Work Day, with the financial support of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS – volet Université d’Ottawa). 

All events will take place in person, and you are welcome to bring your children.

In the face of many current upheavals, notably in the social system, but also in the systemic racism and colonialism that have continued to mark recent years, and in search of solutions that think outside the box, the theme chosen for Social Work Day 2025 is: “Creative practices: the art of reinventing social work”.

This theme highlights the need to broaden our methods, to adopt and discover new and diversified tools to create environments more conducive to the well-being of the various people and communities we work with.

Spread over the course of a day, the proposed activities will give you the chance to take part in a variety of experiences linked to your program of study, while also providing you with the opportunity to meet the professors, the administrative staff, social workers and students enrolled in the various programs offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as members of the community. Most activities are open to anyone in the community interested in participating.

Events scheduled for Social Work Day 2025

March 19, 2025

All events for Social Work Day will take place in FSS 4007.

*Important notice

During Social Work Day, the University of Ottawa will be taking photos or videos that may subsequently be used by the University for publicity or archival purposes. It is therefore possible that you may be recognized in one of these photos or videos. By participating in these events, you agree to be photographed and filmed, and authorize the University to use the images in print, digital, video or electronic form for publicity or archival purposes.

Before a photo is taken, participants will be notified. You will have the opportunity to let us know if you do not wish to be included in the photo. Participants will also be notified if a video recording is made, giving them time to let us know if you do not wish to appear in the video recording.

8 : 30 a.m to 8 : 45 a.m - Opening of Social Work Day and presentation of the School of Social Work scholarships

Guests :

  • Véronique Strimelle, Vice-dean undergraduate studies at the Faculty of social sciences
  • Marc Molgat, Director of the School of Social Work

8 : 45 a.m to 12 p.m - Student Symposium

During this event, students currently enrolled in bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in social work, as well as faculty and administrative staff from the School of Social Work, will come together to exchange and develop their knowledge of various social issues. The event's program includes oral presentations by students at all levels, chosen through a selection process.

A light snack will be provided

Prizes in the form of bursaries

Door prizes draw

Event open to the community

12 p.m to 1 p.m - MAGUSHAN – Community Lunch TSO

In a convivial setting, this event will enable students, members of the administrative team and professors of the School of Social Work to share a meal in all simplicity. You could discuss your academic pathway, find and talk to the professor who could be your future master's thesis or doctoral dissertation director.

A light snack will be provided

Door prizes draw

Event open only to TSO students, administrative staff and TSO faculty

1 p.m to 5 p.m - Workshops on alternative intervention methods

List of instructors and topics covered 

Playback theater 

Playback theater is a form of improvised, interactive theater, where content is created from the audience's stories. It can be presented in a variety of contexts, whether as part of purely artistic performances or as an intervention tool with groups. In a performance, the aim is above all to entertain and create a space for sharing personal stories, without any therapeutic purpose. However, these techniques can also be used in interventions with different populations to encourage self-expression, engage reflection on social issues, offer a strong voice and validation to individual experiences, and foster empathy and connection between participating people through active listening to others' stories. This enables individuals to feel heard, to share often-invisible stories, and to strengthen social cohesion.

“Playback theater gives a voice to the voiceless, a language to the unspoken, and offers a chance to transform pain into artistic creation.’’

- Jo Salas (one of the founders of the approach)

Katia Lemieux, dramatherapist

Katia Lemieux is a dramatherapist and multidisciplinary artist. Her personal and professional path is oriented towards the practice of art as a tool for social change, bringing people together and creating spaces for healing. She is interested in engaged, community-based and feminist art practices. She is passionate about puppetry, object theater, playback theater and collage. Her mission is to make art and theater accessible, and to raise awareness of their power to heal and bring about social change. In recent years, she has worked in the community and in schools with women, teenagers and newcomer families, using art as a lever for intervention. She also works with students in newcomer classes on various research projects in collaboration with UQAT's art therapy department.

Les Porteuses d'Echos collective

Les Porteuses d'Echos is a non-profit organization whose mission is to offer marginalized populations a space for experimentation, support and transformation through the living arts. The Playback theater collective is made up of 6 women from diverse backgrounds (Katia Lemieux, Laurianne Brabant, Aurélia Fleury, Kelly Pelletier, Michaud, Ariane Lavery). Their aim is to create a safer space where everyone can feel seen and accepted. Creating such a space in the community strengthens the social safety net, builds bridges and opens up dialogue between cultures and generations. Playback theater presentations are great opportunities to come together and reconnect with oral tradition and a certain universality of emotions.

Worldplay sandtray therapy

Sandtray therapy was developed by Dr. Margaret Lowenfeld, child psychiatrist. Sandtray therapy then proved to be an effective tool for all types of clientele, of all ages. It's a powerful approach that helps people understand what they are feeling, without necessarily having to use verbal language. It is the unconscious that manifests itself, revealing often unsuspected feelings and sensations. During the workshop, you will learn rapid techniques that will help you in your work with clients.

Johanne Morency, psychoeducator

After 12 years with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working in Africa and Central and South America, Johanne worked as a consultant for international organizations. She then returned to school at UQO to study psychoeducation. This led her to work as a counsellor for 17 years at CALACS francophone d’Ottawa. It was during these 17 years that she acquired knowledge and expertise on the impact of sexual assault on women's physical and mental health. Between 2007 and 2010, she took a six-week training course with Vision Quest (USA) to learn and perfect her knowledge of sandplay intervention. Sandplay quickly became a tool she still favors. In 2019, she left CALACS and has since worked as a counsellor and coach for private clients and as a trainer for a number of community organizations.

Johanne Morency, Psychoeducator

Dance and movement therapy

Combining movement and therapeutic techniques, dance and movement therapy takes a collaborative and holistic approach that incorporates the emotional, cognitive, physical and social aspects of the individual. In this workshop, Shaianne and Sarah will offer a theoretical and experiential workshop on the benefits of dance and movement therapy. Through creative exercises, participants will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with and explore individual and group intervention techniques used in dance therapy.

Shaianne Young, psychotherapist

Shaianne Young is a dance and movement therapy trainee and licensed psychotherapist (PA), with a background in creative arts therapy and a strong interest in the mind-body connection. She works at Agape Psychotherapy & Wellness in Ottawa and online at Bloom Psychology & Wellness where she creates spaces for clients to explore their emotions, develop self-awareness and build resilience through body practices. With a curious and caring approach, rooted in empathy and lightness, she uses the transformative power of movement as an essential tool for self-exploration, emotional expression and personal growth.

Sarah Kroetsch, social worker and placement student in dance/movement therapy

Sarah Kroetsch is a dance and movement therapy trainee and registered social worker (RSW). She has facilitated movement workshops for children, parents and adults living with Parkinson's disease, caregivers and healthcare workers in hospitals, hospices and community centers. Since 2006, Sarah has been a pediatric social worker at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). She is also a staff member of the Centre National de Danse Thérapie (CNDT), offering adapted dance experiences to students living in remote northern communities through Connected North. She teaches weekly movement classes with Parkinson's Montréal-Laval and Parkinson's en Mouvement.

Shaianne and Sarah completed the Alternative Path at the Centre National de Danse Thérapie with Les Grands Ballets in Montreal in order to obtain professional certification as Registered Dance/Movement Therapists (R-DMT). Together, Shaianne and Sarah practice dance and movement therapy with various groups and populations in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Shaianne Young, psychotherapist and Sarah Kroetsch, social worker and placement student in dance/movement therapy

Art therapy - creative journaling

Creative Journaling is a simple, accessible and effective method based on the strengths of art therapy, psychology, artist journaling and multiple creativity development techniques. In a dynamic combination of writing, drawing and collage, Creative Diary aims above all to align and connect with oneself, to accompany each person in their choices, concrete life and relationships. All for greater vitality, creativity and a happier life.

Miche-Lyne Chagnon, social worker

With over 25 years experience in social work, Miche-Lyne Chagnon has worked with youth, particularly in schools. She was also a clinical supervisor at the Centre le CAP in addiction and project manager for the CNFS - Volet Université d'Ottawa. She currently holds the position of coordinator of human techniques programs at Collège Universel (Gatineau and Montreal campuses). Passionate about the development of students, she is fully committed to their success and personal growth.

A light snack will be provided

Door prizes draw

Event open to the community

5 p.m to 8 p.m - Dinner - Docu-discussion on the documentary “L'Audience” and closing of the day

This year, in collaboration with the EDI Committee, we invite you to an evening screening of the documentary “L'Audience”, accompanied by a delicious supper and followed by a discussion with the EDI Committee and Baka Asha Thsimanga, settlement worker from Catholic Immigration Centre. The film, co-directed by Émilie B. Guérette and Peggy Nkunga Ndona, released in 2023, traces the journey of Peggy, Simon and their three children, who, after fleeing political repression in the Democratic Republic of Congo and crossing 11 countries clandestinely, find themselves before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to plead their claim for asylum. This documentary offers rare, immersive access to a refugee status determination hearing, revealing the complex realities and human stakes of this legal process.

The discussion that follows will provide a valuable opportunity to deepen reflections on the social intervention dilemmas raised by the film. This approach goes far beyond a simple screening: it offers an immersive and interactive experience, enabling students to explore not only the dynamics of asylum and immigration, but also to better understand the challenges of support and advocacy in this context. The evening will be a unique opportunity to learn, share and raise awareness of the realities of people seeking protection.

A light snack will be provided

Door prizes draw

Event open to the community

Closing of Social Work Day 2025

*Important Notice

During the day of activities, the University of Ottawa will take photos or videos of events that may later be used for publicity or archival purposes. It is therefore possible that you may be recognized in one of these photos or videos. By participating in these events, you agree to be photographed and filmed, and authorize the University to use the images in print, digital, video or electronic form for publicity or archival purposes. Before a photo is taken, participants will be notified, and it will be possible for you to move outside of the frame.