Jennifer Laffier
PhD, RCAT, RP
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Education
Contact information
Education Building
- Room 417
Downtown Oshawa
11 Simcoe Street North
Oshawa, ON
905.721.8668 ext. 2891
Dr. Jennifer Laffier: Mental Health in the Digital Age and Human Development
Dr. Jennifer Laffier, also a licensed therapist, focuses on the intersection of mental health, education and technology. Her research interests center on human development and learning and the impacts of technology, as well as mental health across the lifespan; the role of creative arts, play and nature in well-being; at-risk populations and psychological empowerment; and mental health education for teachers.Bio
Dr. Laffier is an Assistant Professor, and a Licensed Psychotherapist and Creative Arts Therapist with over 25 years of experience in the fields of developmental psychology, mental health and education. She conducts research in the area of human development and well-being in the digital age and is currently the Director of the Mental Health in the Digital Age Lab.
For more information:
Courses taught
Bachelor of Education (Faculty of Education)
- Mental Health in Schools
- Adolescent Development
- Child Development
- Special Needs and Diversity
Master of Education (Faculty of Education)
- Mental Health in the Digital Age
- Trauma-informed Educational Practices
- Youth, Media, and Pop Culture
Bachelor of Criminology ( Faculty of Social Sciences)
- Theories of deviance
- Introduction to Psychology
Bachelor of Health Sciences (Faculty of Health Sciences)
- Developmental Psychology
Research and expertise
- Bullying and safe schools
- Child and Youth Mental Health
- Creativity and the creative arts
- Emotional intelligence
- Global mental health practices impacting learning and success
- Impacts of Technology on Well-Being and Development
- Mental health education for teachers
- Psychological empowerment for at-risk populations
- Resiliency and Flourishing
- Role of play and nature in wellness
- Trauma-informed practices
- Laffier, J., Ewert, C., & Bernard, G. (2019). Choices in approaching conflict, 2nd Edition. Toronto: Edmund Montgomery Publishing.
- Laffier, J. (2020). Depression and Suicide in the virtual worlds of youth. In David Lester (Ed) Understanding Suicide Ideation. New York; Nova Science Publishers.
- Laffier, J., Hughes, J., & Petrarca, D. (2016). The role of culturally competent future teachers in promoting global citizens in their classrooms: Best practice ideas from a pre-service teacher education program in Canada. In Cultural Awareness and Competency Development in Higher Education, IGI Global.
- Hughes, J., Laffier, J., Morrison, L., Mamola, A., & DiCastell, S. (2019). Addressing bullying through critical making. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(1), 309-325.
- Laffier, J. (2016). The role of artistic expression in the psychological empowerment of bullying victims. Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal: Special Edition on Art Therapy and Mental Health, 29(1), 12-20. Taylor & Francis.
