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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

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

jennifer.laffier@ontariotechu.ca



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.