2023 PAA Poster Presentation
Welcome to the PAA-hosted poster presentation event. This year we received 7 poster submissions for our event.
1. Barriers in Learning and Accessing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities in Post Secondary Education
Kate Rho (she/her) is a first-generation immigrant settler on the unceded traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, sel̓íl̓witulh, and sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations. As a lab manager at the Anxiety, Stress, and Autism Program Lab and KID Studies Centre at the University of British Columbia, Kate conducts autism and child development research. In 2022, Kate was also a key researcher in a community-based disability justice project led by AutismBC, advocating for families receiving autism funding in British Columbia. Over the past 5 years, she has worked with autistic children and youth of varying ages, cultural backgrounds, and support needs in clinical and educational settings.
Ishika Bhambhani (she/her) graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Psychology (minor: Biology) from The University of British Columbia – Okanagan in 2022. Originally from Mumbai, India, Ishika moved to Canada in 2018 to pursue her dreams in clinical psychology. As the Research Assistant at the Contraception and Abortion Research Team at UBC, Ishika is involved in various research projects focusing on women’s reproductive health globally. Over the past 5 years, she has worked in several labs and on research projects. As a Student Life Coach at the Disability Resource Center at UBC, she coached and mentored autistic individuals in varying clinical and educational settings.
2. The Meaning and Experiences of Self-Compassion in the Face of Difficult Friendship Dissolutions Among Adolescents
Lindsey Erin Feltis is in her first year of the PhD Counselling Psychology program at the University of Alberta. She has just finished her MEd in Counselling Psychology, and before that, she completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Communication Studies and completed an MA in Developmental Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University. For as long as she can remember, she has had a passion for bettering the lives of children, adolescents, and adults, and has found that pursuing a career in Counselling Psychology is allowing her to do just that. In her academic journey thus far, her research has focused on the therapeutic benefits of mindfulness and self-compassion among children and adolescents. She is excited to be submitting her master’s research on the role of self-compassion among adolescents who are navigating difficult friendship dissolutions for this year’s poster event!
3. A Literature Review of Youth Critical Consciousness
John Hu is interested in pedagogy of the oppressed, and what it means in practice for invisible populations such as people living with disabilities in rural/remote communities, underage workers, and the underage homeless. He has completed research for Vancouver Coastal Health/Fraser Health, University of Cologne, and Public Health Agency of Canada.
Jason Yu (he/him) is a second-generation Chinese Canadian, working at Island Clinical Counselling. His focus is Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs e.g. skin-picking, hair-pulling, nail-biting). He started counselling after leaving a career in civil engineering and overcoming his shame with his own compulsive skin-picking.
4. Communication Within Same-Sex Friendships During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Pariza is a mixed-methods Psychology researcher, currently working towards publishing her manuscript. She examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on same-sex friendships, and has received 2 awards for her research. Presently, Pariza works as a Research Coordinator at multiple labs across the University of Calgary’s Department of Psychology and the Cumming School of Medicine. She additionally works at Stride Psychology as a Psychometrist, and has 3 years of experience within the social work and mental health field. Pariza will commence her graduate degree in School and Applied Child Psychology in September 2023, specializing in ADHD and psychometric assessments.
5. Highlighting the Voices of Newcomer Youth Through an Arts-Based Engagement Ethnography
Linnea Kalchos is entering the second year of her doctoral studies in the School and Applied Child Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests include school integration, newcomer youth, transnational feminism, and critical social justice research in psychology. Her Master’s thesis focused on newcomer experiences of psychosocial support services in Canadian secondary schools. She also works as a student clinician conducting psychoeducational assessments for children and adolescents with specific learning disorders, intellectual disabilities, and other social-emotional concerns. She currently serves as the Past Chair of the Canadian Psychological Association’s Section for Students.
Veronica Shim is entering the second year of her doctoral studies in the School and Applied Child Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. She is a second-generation Chinese Canadian passionate about cultural and social justice responsiveness. Professionally, she has supported families as a school psychologist in British Columbia for over a decade and has extensive experience supporting children, youth, and families in kindergarten through post-secondary. Veronica’s approaches assessment with care and humility and feels privileged to champion parents so that they are in the best position to advocate for their children.
Using an Arts-Based Engagement Ethnography to Capture the Lived Experiences of Newcomers
Michelle Zak is a first year Master of Science student in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Calgary. Her personal experience as a second-generation Filipino immigrant and her vast education/teaching experience informs her academic and career goals. With the mentorship of Dr. Anusha Kassan, Michelle has expanded her knowledge in qualitative research design, newcomer youth school integration, child language brokering, and multicultural responsiveness. Under the supervision of Dr. Shelly Russell-Mayhew, Michelle is currently engaging in meaningful research that aims to understand the lived experiences of culturally diverse pre-service teachers as they transition into their roles as in-service teachers.
Farah Charania is a first year Master of Science student in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Calgary. Her personal experience as a first-generation immigrant and work experience in both the social work and mental health fields, and most recently as an Affinity Group Co-Facilitator for U of C’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee inform her research endeavors. Farah is passionate about researching the determinants of psychosocial well-being in marginalized populations and aspires to mobilize this knowledge to impact positive change for equity deserving groups at institutional and systemic levels.
Effect of Parenting Styles on Code-Switching in Bilingual Children
My name is Jiya Juneja, and I have recently graduated from the University of Alberta with BSc. Honors in Psychology. I completed my Honors thesis under the supervision of Dr. Andrea MacLeod in the Multilingual Families Lab. My experiences as a Hindi-English bilingual led me to explore the phenomenon of bilingualism and code-switching in my research. I have also worked at the Centre for Autism Services Alberta as a Behavioral Interventionist as well as Team Lead for Respite services. I am currently working as the Professional Guidance Officer at PAA, and I want to pursue my career as a Psychologist.
Jiya as a member of the PAA staff team, will not take part in the Best Poster Contest.