RESEARCH & FACULTY
Diana Coholic
Diana Coholic
Associate ProfessorSocial Work
Professional Schools
705.675.1151 ext. 5053
Sudbury Campus
Diana has worked at Laurentian University since 2001. She obtained her Ph.D. at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and her M.S.W. degree at the University of Toronto. Currently, she teaches social work theory and social work practice/advanced practice methods in the undergraduate and graduate social work programs. For several years, she has also facilitated the theory course for the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Rural and Northern Health. Diana is a practicing clinical social worker with 20 years of experience, and has been a board member of the local chapter of the Ontario Association of Social Workers since 2005. At Laurentian, she is a core member of the research group ECHO (Evaluating Children's Health Outcomes); http://ECHO.Laurentian.ca.
Currently, Diana's research focus is on investigating the effectiveness of arts-based and mindfulness-based methods for the improvement of resilience and self-concept in vulnerable children: this research has been in collaboration with the Children's Aid Society of the Districts of Sudbury and Manitoulin, and the Child and Family Centre (funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Sick Kids Foundation). In 2010 Jessica Kingsley Publishers published her book Arts Activities for Children and Young People in Need: Helping children to develop mindfulness, spiritual awareness and self-esteem, which was based on this research. Information can be found on her research website: www.dianacoholic.com.
Diana is an experienced qualitative researcher and is especially interested in creative methodologies that incorporate arts-based exercises in the collection of data, and in using video recordings for data analyses. Over the past several years, she has trained 26 students and practitioners in facilitating the arts-based and mindfulness group methods, conducting data analyses, and presenting research results at academic conferences and in the community. Five of these research trainees were supported with CIHR Student Research Awards.
- Ph.D., University of New South Wales
- M.S.W., University of Toronto
- B.A., University of Guelph
Diana's current research investigates the effectiveness of arts-based and mindfulness methods for improving mental health. Her research interests include group work; holistic practices; and strengths-based approaches. Diana has supervised graduate students in the areas of mindfulness, arts-based group work, Aboriginal girls and resilience, various social work practices, vicarious trauma, gender, and mental health.
- Coholic, D. (2010). Arts Activities for Children and Young People in Need: Helping children to develop mindfulness, spiritual awareness and self-esteem. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
- Coholic, D., Lougheed, S., & Cadell, S. (2009). Exploring the helpfulness of arts-based methods with children living in foster care. Traumatology, 15 (3), 64-71.
- Coholic, D. (2011). Exploring the feasibility and benefits of arts-based mindfulness-based practices with young people in need: Aiming to improve aspects of self-awareness and resilience. Child and Youth Care Forum, 40 (4), 303-317.
- Coholic, D. (2011). Exploring how young people living in foster care discuss spiritually-sensitive themes in a holistic arts-based group program. Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Social Work: Social Thought, 30 (3), 193-211.
- Coholic, D., Eys, M., & Lougheed, S. (2012). Investigating the effectiveness of an arts-based and mindfulness-based group program for the improvement of resilience in children in need. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21 (5), 833-844.
