Tania Smethurst

Program affiliation: Lifespan Development

Supervisor: Dr. Chris Lalonde

Research interests

My current research interests are in adolescent development, fostering resilience, aboriginal youth health promotion, and youth-at-risk. I would like to do further research on building resilience in youth as a means of aiding development and avoiding, or circumventing, struggle and adversity in their lives. In addition to building resilience as a preventative step for youth, I am also interested in addressing resilience as a solution for youth who are currently struggling in their lives. In the past I have explored therapeutic wilderness programs as a means of fostering resilience in youth. Finally I see developing resilience as component of health promotion. I am interested in the connection between resilience and the maintenance of mental and physical health.

Awards

CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s award, awarded $17 500. September 2010
University of Victoria President’s Research Scholarship, awarded $4000. September 2010
Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research, Scholarship offered $18 000. September 2010 (Declined)

Representative publications and presentations

“Wilderness Therapy as an Intervention to Foster Resilience in Youth.” Poster presented at the Pathways to Resilience II Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 2010

“Resilience Training: A Look at the Literature with an Eye for Early Intervention in Positive Practice” Symposium presented at the Canadian Psychology Association’s annual convention, Montreal, Quebec, June 2009.

Smethurst, T. (2008). Cultivating Resilience Within a Wilderness Therapy Program. Symposium presented at the Canadian Psychology Association's annual convention, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Smethurst, T. (2007). The Contribution of Community to Resilience Research. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychology Association's annual convention, Ottawa Ontario.

Smethurst, T. & Stevenson, C. (2007). Positive Communication Techniques-Teaching Young People to Hear and be Heard. Workshop presented at the Association for Experiential Education Regional North West conference, Maple Ridge BC.

Smethurst, T. & Stevenson, C. (2007). Connecting with Nature - Wilderness Awareness Skills. Workshop presented at the Association for Experiential Education Regional North West conference, Maple Ridge BC.