Associate Professor
SACP Practicum Coordinator
School and Applied Child Psychology
Registered Psychologist
Dr. Kassan is an Associate Professor who holds a high-impact position in child and youth mental health in the School and Applied Child Psychology programme at the University of British Columbia. She was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Counselling Psychology programme at the University of British Columbia from 2009 to 2013, and an Assistant and then Associate Professor in Educational Studies in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary from 2014 to 2019. Dr. Kassan completed her graduate studies in Counselling Psychology at McGill University and did her Pre-Doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology at the University of California, Irvine Counselling Center.
Scholarly Interests:
Child and youth mental health, Social justice, Multiculturalism and diversity, Teaching and learning methods, Feminist-Multicultural, Theoretical Orientation
Dr. Kassan’s scholarly interests are informed by her own bi-cultural identity. As such, her program of study is informed by an overarching social justice lens. Her research presently includes two major foci. First, she is conducting research pertaining to immigration experiences across different communities (i.e., newcomer youth, women, and 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers). Second, she is carrying out research in the area of teaching and learning, investigating cultural and social justice responsiveness in psychology training. Dr. Kassan is committed to the implications of this research for psychology practice, training, research, and policy.
Great Supervisor Award – University of Calgary, 2018
Seisoh Sukemune Encouragement of Early Career Research Award – International Council of Psychologists, 2018
LUMA Award – Association for Women in Psychology, 2019
Teaching Award – University of Calgary, 2019
Community Award – Portail de l’Immigrant Association, 2020
Distinguished Member Award – Canadian Psychological Association – Section on Counselling Psychology, 2021
Excellence in Clinical Supervision Award – Psychology Association of Alberta, 2022
Fellow Award – Canadian Psychological Association, 2022
In addition to engaging in service activities across the university community, Dr. Kassan is involved with several psychology organizations and communities. For example, she is presently a member of the Canadian Psychological Association’s Accreditation Panel, and she is the Past-Chair of the Section on Counselling Psychology of the Canadian Psychological Association. Moreover, she provides regular training to clinicians in the community on topics pertaining to anti-racism, intersectionality, and cultural and social justice responsiveness. In the context of her research on the school integration of newcomer youth, Dr. Kassan has collaborated with the Calgary Catholic School District in Alberta as well as the Surrey School District and the Conseil scolaire francophone in British Columbia.
McGill University, 2009, Ph.D., Counselling Psychology, APA and CPA Accredited Program
McGill University, 2002, M.A., Counselling Psychology, OCCOPPQ Accredited Program
Concordia University, 2000, B.A,, Psychology, Honors Program
Maisonneuve College, 1995, Diploma of Collegial Studies
Remote and Online Services for Professional Immigrants (Co-PI) – IRCC Service Delivery & Innovation Grant – Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
Hybrid Education Literacy Learning Optimization Study (Co-PI) – IRCC Service Delivery & Innovation Grant – Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
Newcomer Youth and School Integration: An Arts-Based Engagement Ethnography in the French and English Public System (PI) – SSHRC Development Grant – Government of Canada
How are we Making a Difference out there? Teaching and Learning about Social Justice through Practicum Education (Co-PI) – Teaching and Learning Grant – Taylor Institute, University of Calgary
Saunder, J., Bravo, E. I., & Kassan, A. (in press). “Anorexia doesn’t exist when you’re Latina”: Family, culture, and gendered expectations in eating disorder recovery. Journal of Latinx Psychology.
Kassan, A. (2022). The seemingly impossible quest and longing for change. In G. Shukla and E. Esina (Eds), Landed: Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women (pp. 25-30). Campfire Kinship Storytelling Inc.
Kassan, A., & Moodley, R. (2022). Diversity and Social Justice in Counseling, Psychology, and Psychotherapy: A Case Study Approach. Cognella Press.
Kassan, A. (2021). Promoting reflexivity through multiple means of engagement: A UDL approach to enhancing cultural and social justice responsiveness. In M. Arcellana-Panlilio and P. Dyjur (Eds). Incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Disciplinary Contexts in Higher Education (pp. 33-38). University of Calgary, AB: Taylor Institute of Teaching and Learning Guide Series. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/resources/incorporating-universal-design-for-learning-in-disciplinary-contexts-in-higher-education-guide
Kassan, A., Nutter, S. Arthur, N. Green, A.R., Russell-Mayhew, S., & Sesma-Vasquez, M. (2020). Capturing the shadow and light of researcher positionality: A picture-prompted poly-ethnography. International Journal of Qualitative Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920977325
Kassan, A., Sinacore, A.L., & Green, A.R. (2019). Learning about social justice through a self-reflective field activity. Manuscript submitted for publication. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 24(2), 250-255. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684319837660
Cohen, J., & Kassan, A. (2018). Being in-between: A model of cultural identity negotiation for emerging adult immigrants. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 65(2), 133-154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cou0000265
Nakamura, N., Kassan, A., & Suehn, M. (2017). Resilience and migration: The experiences of same-sex binational couples in Canada. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 29(2), 201-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10538720.2017.1298489
Kassan, A., & Sinacore, A. L. (2016). Multicultural counselling competencies with female adolescents: A retrospective qualitative investigation of client experiences. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy / Revue canadienne de counseling et de psychothérapie, 50(4), 402-420. Retrieved from https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/61111
Kassan, A., Fellner, K. D., Jones, M. I., Palandra, A. L., & Wilson, L. J. (2015). (Re)considering novice supervisor development through a social justice lens: An experiential account. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 9(1), 52-60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tep0000041
Nakamura, N., & Kassan, A. (2013). Understanding the experiences of immigrant sexual minority women through a cultural identity model. Women & Therapy, 36(3-4), 252-267. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2013.797848
Sinacore, A. L., Ginsberg, F., & Kassan, A. (2012). Feminist, multicultural, and social justice pedagogies in counselling psychology. In C. Z. Enns & E. N. Williams (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Multicultural Counselling Psychology (pp. 413-431). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199744220.013.0022
Sinacore, A., Kassan, A., Borgen, W., A., Daniluk, J., Leong, B., & Nicols, J. (2011). Canadian counselling psychologists’ contributions to applied psychology. Canadian Psychology, 52(4), 276-288. doi:10.1037/a0025549.
Sinacore, A. L., Mikhail, A. M., Kassan, A., & Lerner, S. (2009). Cultural transition of Jewish immigrants: Education, employment, and integration. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 9(3), 157-176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10775-009-9166-z