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This article is about the multidisciplinary Community of Practice (CoP) initiative that was implemented in the summer of 2020- summer of the pivot- at a Canadian post-secondary institution to prepare faculty, staff, and students for remote teaching and learning while navigating pandemic conditions created by COVID-19. The CoP as a case study using Critical Theory as a theoretical framework examines the experiences of a collective group of faculty and staff from different disciplines leading a multidisciplinary university-wide initiative and the implications of the approach for promoting effective pedagogies for teaching and learning remotely. Findings based on feedback from workshop attendees, reflections from the CoP facilitators, and comments forwarded to senior administrators about the impact and the effectiveness of the program indicate positive results. It is recommended that although the CoP initiative was originally conceived as a response to the summer of the pivot, it should become an integral approach to promoting dialogue and innovative strategies to advance equitable practices in higher education by cultivating community networks. The findings serve to continue constructive dialogues and discussions about how universities can transition, pivot, and mobilize innovatively and creatively to prioritize equitable teaching and learning conditions that challenge the status quo. This requires a long-term commitment by higher education institutions to break away from historically normalized practices and invest in innovative ways to identify and meet the needs of various stakeholders.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the major health and human rights issues of our time, affecting one in three women worldwide. Despite IPV's prevalence, limited research investigates the healing process for survivors or the efficacy of group art therapy (GAT). This study is grounded by a person-centred approach to art therapy and an interpretive method, highlighting the contextualised nature of reality and experience of social phenomena. The aims of this community-based, qualitative study were to explore women IPV survivors' experiences of GAT and better understand what aspects of GAT contribute to healing. During 2018–2019, six women were interviewed about their experiences of participating in a 12-week GAT program within a Canadian domestic violence prevention agency. The transcribed interviews were analyzed with the method of thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from the analysis, and an overarching theme/pattern was identified through interpretation of these themes. The overarching theme was transformative healing, which women appeared to experience by creating connections in a safe space, using visual metaphors in their art-pieces, reclaiming an empowered self, and building resilience. This study found that GAT was experienced as providing a relational component to healing and as fostering self-expression, inner and interpersonal growth, and confidence. Art therapists and other mental health practitioners who support survivors may want to consider the unique contributions of art making when designing interventions. Future research should examine which arts-based interventions delivered in a group therapy context can promote IPV survivors' mental health and wellness. This article shares information from a qualitative study about group art therapy (GAT) for women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). IPV affects one in three women worldwide, including 6–8% of married/cohabiting women in Canada. Despite IPV's prevalence, limited research investigates the healing process for survivors or the benefits of GAT services and approaches. This study was conducted in partnership with a non-profit organisation serving women survivors in a small Southwestern Ontario municipality. The aims of this study were to explore women IPV survivors' experiences of GAT within a domestic violence prevention agency, and better understand what aspects of the GAT process, if any, contribute to healing. The study involved interviews and an arts-based research component with six participants who completed the organisation's 12-week GAT program. Researchers utilised thematic analysis, a method of uncovering key themes across the interviews, to learn how participants experienced the GAT program. Through the process of thematic analysis, the study found that participants appeared to experience transformative healing by creating connections with the therapists, peers, and art media in a safe space; using visual metaphors in their art-pieces to symbolise their emotions and future possibilities; reclaiming an empowered self, which was creative, playful, and hopeful; and building strength and resilience through the group process. This study found that art therapy in a group context was experienced as providing a relational component to healing and as fostering self-expression, inner and interpersonal growth, and increased confidence. Art therapists and other mental health practitioners who support survivors may, therefore, want to consider the unique contributions of art and art making when designing interventions. Future research should examine which specific arts-based interventions delivered in a formal group therapy context can promote mental health and wellness in individuals who have experienced IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations are at increased risk of developing breast cancer and may have an indication for breast cancer screening using mammography. Since breast cancer is often viewed as a woman’s disease, visibilizing and understanding men’s experience of having a BRCA mutation and specifically, of screening for breast cancer through mammography, were the objectives of this research study.The theoretical framework of interpretive phenomenology guided the process of data collection, coding, and analysis. Phenomenology is both a philosophy and research method which focuses on understanding the nature of experience from the perspectives of people experiencing a phenomenon, the essence of and commonalities among people’s experiences, and the ways in which people experience the world through their bodies. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 15 male participants recruited from the Male Oncology Research and Education (MORE) Program.This article reports findings about participants’ use of gender-specific language to describe their breasts, awareness of the ways in which their bodies changed overtime, and experiences of undergoing mammograms.This study is the first to describe men with BRCA’s perceptions of their breasts and experiences of mammography in a high-risk cancer screening clinic. This study sheds light on an under-researched area—breasts and masculinities—and could potentially lead to improved clinical understanding of men’s embodied experiences of BRCA, as well as suggestions for improving the delivery of male breast cancer screening services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walk-in single session counselling is becoming a more widely used model for delivering mental health services across Ontario. This paper reports findings from the qualitative phase of a mixed method study, exploring the experiences of those attending walk-in counselling model compared to the traditional service delivery model employing a wait list. We used a comparative case study design for the qualitative phase. Findings reveal that participant outcomes of the walk-in counselling model are influenced by accessibility, how a participant makes sense of the service and the degree to which a participant is motivated and able to engage in counselling. Walk-in counselling supports the mental health system by reducing wait lists associated with traditional service delivery models and meeting the needs many people identify for immediate consultation. Other participants still perceive themselves as requiring ongoing counselling over time and involving in-depth exploration. This research supports health systems providing access to both models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body mapping refers to the process of representing a person's lived experience and sociocultural contexts by creating a visualization of the person's body, with accompanying texts and symbols. Despite the history of disembodiment in the western context, the wide use of body mapping as a visual methodology in various fields attests to the potential of body mapping in promoting embodiment and witnessing. By analysing three body maps that were created at three distinct teaching sites in community-based and preservice art education settings, I examine how body mapping can evoke embodied witnessing and explore its implication for art education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Men with a germline pathogenic BRCA1 or BRCA2 variant have increased risks for developing breast, pancreatic, prostate, and melanoma cancers, but little is known about how they understand and manage their cancer risks. This study examines how men with BRCA-related cancer risks manage uncertainty and information about their risks. Twenty-five men who were either a BRCA carrier or have a BRCA-positive first-degree family member that put the participant at 50% chance of also being a BRCA carrier were interviewed for this study. Using uncertainty management theory as a theoretical framework, this study demonstrates that men manage uncertainty by seeking information from female family members, websites, and healthcare providers, and are under-informed about their cancer risks. Further, in handling their information, men prefer information about cancer risk percentages and screening recommendations in the form of lists presented to them via websites, printed literature, proactive healthcare providers, and an identifiable male spokesperson. Finally, men used BRCA-related cancer risk information to make decisions about whether or not to engage in screening and prevention, manage their BRCA-related cancer risks, and overall family well-being—yet often at the expense of their own individual risks. Implications for genetic counseling and family conversations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]