Meet our Social Work Students – Karen Chhabra-Dhoot and Sarah Doyle

Sarah and Karen are MSW students completing their practicum placements with Melissa Feddersen, UBCO Wellbeing Specialist, to support the work of  our Campus Health and UBCO Health and Wellness teams.  Within her placement, Karen is leading the development of a trauma informed practice guide for presenters and hosts who are planning events on campus. The guide will provide steps to ensure their event is inclusive, provides safety and respects the needs of all participants. Karen says:  “I am excited to bring forward a social justice lens as an MSW student along with learning how to incorporate an anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework into health promotion. I am a firm believer of inclusivity, ensuring mental health resources and promotion aligns with all cultures and experiences of students. I value the opportunity to connect with various teams within health promotion and learning how we can support and improve services for students.”  As part of her practicum, Sarah is spearheading the task of revising and creating a Wellness Centre: Online module to support health promotion among 2SLGBTQIA+ students at UBCO. She is creating these virtual spaces in collaboration with students in the community to draw on past and current experiences with health promotion in order to create an even more safe and inclusive future while navigating our post-COVID learning environment.  Sarah says: “I am very excited to be working on this and other meaningful projects in this placement, including creating a safe health promotion event guideline for service providers at UBC.”

Sarah Doyle