, is now available open access. This article reflects on how a relational ethics of care can act as disruptor to neoliberal academia. In this article, Dr. Lindy Van Vliet alongside members of SIM Lab offer reflections on how they adopted a relational ethics of care and the impact it had on the research process. The article aims to foster hopefulness within the messiness of relational research processes that have the potential to cultivate more compassionate and caring ways to conduct research.  

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, is now available open access. The article was published in the , and builds on findings from the Sim Lab’s project Knowing and Not Knowing: Navigating Uncertainty in Social Work Practice, (2020-2024).  

This simulation-based study calls into question some of the assumptions of the transformational potential of individualized reflection on social work practice. Thirty-four participants took part in two clinically focused simulations, followed by interviews in which they watched recordings of their sessions. Findings illustrate that: (i) how clients and the session are understood in the moment can be different than how they are understood post-client engagement; (ii) reflections of practice behaviours can be tied to how individuals want to be, which are not necessarily aligned with how they are in the moment; and (iii) reflections are intertwined with awareness of oneself. These results identify some of the limitations of individualised reflective activities, and demonstrate the powerful potential of collective reflection on recordings of simulations to challenge memory distortions, retrospective biases and to promote greater accountability to ourselves as social workers, and to those we work with. 

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Ruxandra Gheorghe, a PhD Candidate with the School of Social Work, alongside members of the SIM Lab, recently published the article titled . The article is published in the Clinical Social Work Journal.

This simulation-based study with 8 social work clinicians and trainees examines how countertransference intensifies during moments of clinical uncertainty. Findings show that uncertainty can trigger negative countertransference (e.g., frustration, judgment), that countertransference can itself become a source of clinical uncertainty by disrupting focus and decision-making, and that clinicians’ ability to recognize and regulate these reactions is key to managing both. The study points to the need for reflective supervision and training that helps clinicians navigate this interplay in practice.

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The SIM Social Work Research Lab is delighted to announce that Holding Tension: Navigating Mastery and Non-Mastery in Social Work received a SSHRC Insight Grant (PI: Dr. Sarah Todd). This project explores a central challenge in contemporary social work: how practitioners balance the need for professional expertise (“mastery”) with the equally important capacity for humility, openness, and responsiveness to clients and communities (“non-mastery”). In today’s complex service environment, marked by rising demands, diverse client needs, and increasing regulatory pressures, social workers must navigate competing expectations that can shape both their effectiveness and well-being. 

The project aims to generate new theoretical and practical insights into how social workers develop “coherence within contradiction” , which is the ability to hold expertise and uncertainty together in meaningful ways. These insights will directly inform the creation of evidence-based teaching tools, including practice vignettes, activity guides, and webinars designed to better prepare students for the transition into professional practice. 

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Members of the SIM Lab recently published .

This article offers social work educators a practical look at how standardized clients can be prepared for simulation-based teaching. It invites readers into the actor training process — including working through case vignettes, practicing mock simulations, and learning how to manage emotional intensity and provide feedback from the client’s perspective.

Drawing on the authors’ simulation programs, the paper outlines steps that can support consistent, ethical, and effective use of actors in social work classrooms.

This article was published in as part of the special edition, “Simulation in Clinical Social Work: Evolving with the Times”. The special edition is a great place for lots of fabulous simulation resources.

The post Now Available- Training Actors: A Primer for Social Work Educators Working with Standardized Clients (SCs) in Classroom Simulations appeared first on SIM Social Work Research Lab.

Drs. Stephanie Baird (Lab Affiliate), Mariama Diallo and Sarah Tarshis (Lab Associate) were at the 2025 Symposium on Child and Youth Trauma in Montreal this week. They presented their research study that seeks to gain a better understanding of how intimate partner violence (IPV) service providers engage in trauma-informed practice in a simulated session with a standardized patient.

Interested in more? See their paper: Tarshis, S., McQuaid, J.M., Diallo, M., Baird., S.B. & Asakura., K. (2024). Using simulation to train service providers in responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) and trauma. Families in Society. 1-15. 

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Last week a few of us from the Lab had a wonderful time presenting at the Canadian Association for Social Work Education’s annual conference in Montreal.

We also facilitated a conversation circle on the use of simulation in Canadian schools of social work. It was wonderful to hear about the ways simulation is being engaged with across Canada, and we look forward to ongoing dialogue and collaboration.

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On Friday June 2^nd, SIM Lab Research Manager Katherine Occhiuto presented at the Council for Social Work Education’s Annual Conference at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at York University. The presentation titled Is Critical Reflection Enough? Teaching Reflective Practice as a Practice with Limitations highlighted some of the limitations of individualized reflective processes in supporting clinical learning, and brainstormed some ways of augmenting such activities for more effective professional development.

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This week we excitedly welcome Sarah Tarshis to the SIM Social Work Research Lab. Sarah joins as a Post-Doctoral Fellow. In addition to supporting a variety of projects at the lab, Sarah will also be leading a study that examines service response to intimate partner violence (IPV) and trauma using simulation-based research methodologies. Welcome Sarah!

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Our lab director Kenta Asakura, alongside Amedeo D’Angiulii have embarked on a new online simulation study, Online Assessment of Pandemic-Triggered Stress: Towards Developing Assistive AI Technologies. This study seeks to develop assistive technologies to support therapists in their online counselling sessions. More about this exciting project, as well as additional projects funded by the ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Rapid Response Research Grant can be found .

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