About Amanda L. Hooykaas, MSW, RSW

I am a bridge-builder, a thinker, an artist, and a guide. I have worked in the mental health field for over twenty-five years and have taught in academia for approximately twenty years. Both my research and my social work practice focuses on sense of place, belonging, and identity – within individuals, communities, and landscapes. I think about important things - who we are in this world, why this matters to us, our communities, and our natural environment, and how we can move gracefully while here.

I am committed to antiracist/anti-oppressive practices. I understand the importance of reflexivity in thought/practice and enabling the voices of many to participate in intercultural education. I continue to “do the work” and participate in trainings to increase my competency and work both wisely and with grace.

I am a strong advocate and a creative thinker, rarely accepting that a barrier is permanent, and an issue cannot be considered in another way.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy (Human Geography), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON

· Dissertation: “Enduring Gardens: Woven by Friends into the Fabric of the Canadian Community”

Master of Philosophy (Human Ecology), College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME

· Thesis: “The Study of Placelessness: Toward a Conceptual Framework”

Master of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON

· Practicum: Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative (https://cpmhc.ca)

Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Environment & Resource Studies), University of Waterloo,

· Thesis: “Wilderness Therapy: An Examination of Ecopsychology for At-Risk Youth”

Additional Training

· “Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy,” 11 module course (TF-CBTWeb2.0), The Medical University of South Carolina

· “Supporting Parents When They Experience Mental Health Challenges,” 3 module course, Best Start

· “Perinatal Mental Health Education Series,” 6 module course, Women and Children's Health Network and Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Trainings

· “Revolutionizing Trauma and Addiction Treatment with The Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™,” 2 hr. training. Jan Winhall, MSW RSW FOT, Ontario Association of Social Workers Learning Centre

· “Self-Compassion: Relating to Ourselves with Kindness,” 3.5 hr. training, Kristin Neff, PhD, Mission: Empowerment

· "Mindfulness as a Brief Intervention," 2 hr. training. Rhea Plosker, RSW, MSW, Ontario Association of Social Workers Learning Centre

· “Embodying Resilience” (full-day summit), The Embody Lab

· “Women’s Health Across the Lifespan,” classroom, self-study, 14 continuing education exams on reproductive life cycle, infertility and loss, premenstrual mood syndromes, perimenopause, National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry

· “CBT Made Simple: Incorporate CBT into your practice. Part I: Case Conceptualization and cognitive intervention,” CASW-ACTS

· “CBT Made Simple: Incorporate CBT into your practice. Part II: Treatment guidelines and behaviour guidelines,” CASW-ACTS

· “Deconstructing Trauma Through an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lens,” WLU MSW

· “Narrating Colonial Silences: Racialized Social Work Educators Unsettling our Settlerhood,” a publication discussion in collaboration with Dr. Tim Leduc, Ph.D., WLU MSW

· “Assessing and treating clients with complex clinical needs from within a Four Directions Holistic Framework,” CASW-ACTS

· “An Introduction to Successful Grant Writing for Social Workers,” WLU MSW

· “Trauma-Informed Approaches to Restorative Yoga” Webinar, Queen Street Yoga

· “Maternal Mental Health 101,” Postpartum Support International

· “Perinatal Depression Research Engagement Webinar Series,” Perinatal Connect

· “Moving Towards an Integrated Model of Perinatal Mental Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador” (Working Symposium)

· “Journey to Perinatal Wellbeing: eTools and Resources to Identify and Support Women with Perinatal Depression and Anxiety” (Provincial Health Services Authority)

Selected Publications

DeRoche, C., Hooykaas, A.L., Ou, C., King, K., Charlebois, J., & Hartley, K. (2022). “"Examining the Gaps in Perinatal Mental Health Care: A Qualitative Study of the Perceptions of Perinatal Service Providers in Canada." Frontiers in Global Women’s Health. (joint first authors) DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2023.1027409.

Hicks, L., Ou, C., Hooykaas, A.L., Charlebois, J., Tomasi, P., Tarasoff, L.A, Tomfohr-Madsen, L., et al. (2022). “Assessment of Canadian perinatal mental health services from the perspective of providers: Where can we improve?.” Frontiers in Psychiatry – Research Topic: Neurological and Clinical Aspects of Perinatal Mental Health. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/cgy8b.

Hooykaas, A.L. (2021). “Finding Home in a Canadian Public Garden.” Human Ecology Review. Volume 13, Issue 3 DOI: doi.org/10.22459/HER.27.01.2021.04.

Hooykaas, A.L. (2022). Placelessness and Dis-Ease – Addressing the Need for Familiar Places for At-Risk Youth in Smith, T.A., Pitt, H., & Dunkley, R.A. (Eds) In Unfamiliar landscapes: Young people and diverse outdoor experiences (pp. 441–459). Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94460-5

Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative. (2021). Time for Action: Why Canada Needs A National Perinatal Mental Health Strategy Now More Than Ever. https://cpmhc.ca/report. [Lead Author]

Tarasoff, L., Ou, C., Hooykaas, A., Charlebois, J., Tomfohr-Madsen, L., & Tomasi, P. (2021). “Surveying providers to identify gaps in perinatal mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, Volume 43, Issue 5, pp.661-662. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogc.2021.02.044

Hooykaas, A.L. (2021). “Stewarding Places through Geography in Higher Education.” Journal of Geography, Volume 120, Issue 3, pp.108-116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221341.2021.1895288

Hooykaas, A.L. (2017). “Token Girl: Reflections of an Emerging Feminist’s Journey through Music.” Gender, Place and Culture. DOI:10.1080/0966369X.2017.1328663

Hooykaas, A.L. (2009). “The Study of Placelessness: Toward a Conceptual Framework.” The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp.295-304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/1832-2077/CGP/v05i03/54591

Selected Presentations/Lectures

On Sense of Place, Belonging, and Identity

“Lost in Space: An Exploration of Place and Placelessness in North America.” Geography and Regional Planning Program, Westfield State University, Westfield, MA, March 2, 2015.

“The State of Place in the Canadian Garden.” Network in Canadian History and Environment, New Scholars Group: “Place and Placelessness”, Environmental History Workshop for Graduate Students, Online, October 18-19, 2012.

“Enduring Gardens: Woven by Friends into the Fabric of the Canadian Community.” Environmental Studies Association of Canada, in conjunction with the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada Annual Conference: “Congress 2012”, Waterloo, ON, May 26-June 2, 2012.

“Enduring Gardens: Woven by Friends into the Fabric of the Canadian Community.” Network in Canadian History and Environment, New Scholars Group: “Place and Placelessness”, Environmental History Workshop for Graduate Students, Online, October 7, 2011.

“Lost in Space: Found in Place.” Documentary Film. Network in Canadian History and Environment, New Scholars Group: “Place and Placelessness”, Environmental History Workshop for Graduate Students. October 7, 2011.

On Wellbeing in the Workplace/School

On Sense of Place, Belonging, and Identity

“Imposter Syndrome: Common but Unspoken.” Lang Business Leaders Conference, Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Virtual, May 12, 2021.

“The [Re] Integration of Place-Based Education in Geography.” Pedagogy and Place: Geography Learning in Diverse Contexts Special Session, Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Toronto, ON, June 1, 2017.

Pritchard, P., Hooykaas, A.L., Ferguson, J., and Reyes, M. “Linking Learning to Life: Educational Developers as Partners in Supporting the Communication of Professional Competence.” Educational Developers Conference 2017: (Re) Thinking Tradition, Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, February 23, 2017.

“Presenting Grey [Matter] to Peers.” University of Waterloo Teaching and Learning Conference: Opportunities for New Directions 2015, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, April 30, 2015.

On Perinatal Mental Health

On Sense of Place, Belonging, and Identity

On Perinatal Mental Health

Hooykaas, A.L., Ou, C., Charlebois, J., Tomasi, P., Tomfohr-Madsen, L. “Towards a Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Strategy: An Assessment of Gaps in Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” 6th Annual Georgian Bay Healthcare Wellness Research and Innovations Day, Collingwood General Marine Hospital, Collingwood, ON, June 16, 2021.

Ou, C., Tarasoff, L.A., Hooykaas, A.L., Charlebois, J., Tomasi, P., Tomfohr-Madsen, L. “Surveying providers to identify gaps in perinatal mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Annual Clinical and Scientific Conference (ACSC) Abstract Program (presented by The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Canadian Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, the SOGC’s Canadian Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology and Obstetrics subspecialty committee, the Canadian Society of Pelvic Medicine, and the Society of Canadian Colposcopists), Virtual, June 2021.

Virtual Symposium (presented by the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative and the Ludmer Centre: “Strategic Approaches To Perinatal Mental Health Care in Canada” (presentation of national report authored by myself) (May 5, 2021)

Hooykaas, A.L., Ou, C., Charlebois, J., Tomasi, P., Tomfohr-Madsen, L. “Towards a Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Strategy: An Assessment of Gaps in Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Canadian National Perinatal Research Meeting, Montebello, QC, February 8, 202