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Jennifer Laffier
PhD, RCAT, RP

Associate Professor

Founder & Director, Mental Health in the Digital Age Lab

Faculty of Education

LinkedIn Mental Health in the Digital Age Lab

Contact information

Charles Hall - Room 353
Downtown Oshawa
61 Charles Street
Oshawa, ON L1H 4X8

905.721.8668 ext. 2891

jennifer.laffier@ontariotechu.ca

Dr. Jennifer Laffier: Mental Health in the Digital Age and Human Development

Dr. Jennifer Laffier is a licensed therapist, educator, and researcher with 30 years of experience in mental health and education. Her work focuses on the intersections among mental health, digital ecosystems, learning, and human flourishing. Her research, teaching, community outreach, and clinical practice come together to address critical issues in the digital age, including digital wellness across the lifespan, wellness-first digital ecosystems, individual and collective well-being and flourishing, and empowerment-centred education.

Bio

Dr. Jennifer Laffier is an Associate Professor in the Frazer Faculty of Education whose work explores mental health, individual and collective flourishing, and digital wellness. She is the Founder and Director of the Mental Health in the Digital Age Lab, bringing together graduate students, researchers, educators, mental health clinicians, technology designers, and community members to explore a deceptively simple question: How can we flourish in an increasingly digital world?

Jennifer is also a licensed mental health professional with more than 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist, creative arts therapist, and trauma specialist. Her Digital Life and Wellness Clinic brings her research and clinical worlds together through therapeutic and educational services designed to support well-being and flourishing across the lifespan.

Her work has been featured in The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, CBC News and Radio, TVO, and Rogers Television. Her contributions to education and wellness have been recognized through several awards, including the Minister’s Award of Excellence (Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, 2020), Faculty Teaching Excellence Award (Ontario Tech University, 2014), and the Gracie Award for Outstanding Talk Show on Bullying (Alliance for Women in Media, 2011).

Jennifer considers some of her most meaningful work to be sitting at community tables, listening to people’s experiences, supervising and learning alongside students, and creating spaces where hope can grow. Across her work as a researcher, educator, and therapist, she is guided by a commitment to helping individuals and communities find their own pathways to flourishing and empowerment.


Website   ResearchGate

Courses taught

Bachelor of Education
  • EDUC 2407U - Mental Health in Schools
  • EDUC 3751U - Adolescent Development & Learning
  • EDUC 3250U - Child Development & Learning
  • EDUC 3800U - Individual Needs & Diversity (P/J)
  • EDUC 3801U - Individual Needs & Diversity (I/S)
Master of Education
  • EDUC 5108G - Youth, Media, and Pop Culture
  • EDUC 5406U - Digital Wellness 
  • EDUC 5407G - Trauma-informed Education
  • EDUC 5409G - Mental Health in the Digital Age
Bachelor of Criminology (Faculty of Social Science & Humanities)
  • PSYC 1000U - Introduction to Psychology
  • SSCI 2820U - Psychology of Criminal Behaviour
Bachelor of Health Sciences (Faculty of Health Sciences)
  • PSYC 2010U - Developmental Psychology

Research and expertise

Mental health and flourishing in the Digital Age, including: 
  • Digital Wellness across the Lifespan
  • Individual & Collective Mental Health/Wellbeing
  • Human Flourishing & Empowerment
  • Mental Health, Developmental, AI, & Digital Media Literacies
  • Trauma-informed Care, Education, & Technology Design
  • Wellness-first Digital Ecosystems
  • Creative Arts, Play, Nature, and Wellness
Laffier, J., Perry, B., & Westley, M. (in press). Combating hate-based behaviours in the rural lives of youth: Lessons learned from the first rural youth forum on hate in Canada. In C. Jones & A. Farrell (Eds.), Place matters: Rural education in Canada through an ecological lens. University of Toronto Press.

Laffier, J., Rehman, A., & Westley, M. (2025). A conceptual framework to understand the relationships between digital wellness and artificial intelligence. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 28(7), 478–488.  https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2024.0546 

Laffier, J., Westley, M., & Rehman, A. (2025). How digital wellness is represented in school digital literacy and citizenship models: A qualitative comparative analysis. Academia Mental Health and Well-Being, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.20935/MHealthWellB8019 

Laffier, J., Rehman, A., & Westley, M. (2025). The promise of digital wellness to promote youth well-being and healthy  communities. In J. Ferreira (Ed.), Interpersonal relationships in the contemporary 21st century society. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1008817 

Laffier, J., Westley, M., & Rehman, A. (2025). The art of mentoring trauma-informed educators: Considerations for teacher-education programs. In C. Smith, G. Salinitri, & X. T. Nguyen (Eds.), Mentoring to support teacher candidate development (pp.  193–216). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-02333-9_10 

Laffier, J., & Rehman, A. (2023). Deepfakes and harm to women. Journal of Digital Life and Learning, 3(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.51357/jdll.v3i1.218 

Laffier, J. (2020). Depression and suicide in the virtual worlds of youth. In D. Lester (Ed.), Understanding suicidal ideation (pp. 137-165). Nova Science Publishers. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-38551-008 

Laffier, J. (2016). Empowering bullying victims through artistic expression. Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 29(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/08322473.2016.1171987