Diana Coholic
Biography
Diana obtained her Ph.D. at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and her M.S.W. degree at the University of Toronto.?Diana is a practicing clinical social worker with 25+ years of experience,?and she has been involved with?the local chapter of the Ontario Association of Social Workers since 2005. At 51勛圖app (LU), she is a core member of the research group -?Evaluating Children's Health Outcomes. She is also the SSHRC Leader for LU.?For almost six?years, Diana was?the Academic Director?for the Northern?Ontario Region of the??project that has a mission to make?"research evidence and evaluation accessible and relevant to Ontario*s youth sector through knowledge mobilization, capacity building and evaluation leadership."?
Diana's research investigates?the effectiveness of arts-based mindfulness?group work?for the improvement of wellbeing and resilience?particularly in marginalized?children and youth. The 12-week arts-based mindfulness group program that she and her team developed is called Holistic Arts-Based Program (HAP).?HAP helps youth improve their mood and self-esteem, and develop better coping skills and relationships through the enjoyable experience of creative group work. A session by session ouline of HAP can be found here: ?More information?(including videos & webinars) can be found on her research website: www.dianacoholic.com.?
Starting in 2022, she and her team are studying?the benefits of HAP within school systems in cooperation with school boards across northeastern Ontario and beyond. The goal of this 3-year project is to study the benefits of HAP at school for young people, and also how teachers, school-based helping professionals, and caregivers experience learning about and/or facilitating the program. The team*s objectives are to:??
teach young people mindfulness skills & concepts that could lead to improved resilience including abilities to focus, cope, and engage in effective relationships;??
train teachers, social workers, early childhood educators and other school-based personnel in arts-based mindfulness methods, which may impact the resilience of school systems;
investigate the delivery processes and outcomes of different formats of HAP (traditional 12-week program, whole class format, imbedded in the curriculum); and,?
educate parents/guardians in arts-based mindfulness methods, which may reinforce the students* learning and improve family systems.?
As of February 2022, HAP is being facilitated in elementary and high school classrooms within four school boards: Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury Catholic District School Board; Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est de l*Ontario and Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario.
Education
- Ph.D., University of New South Wales
- M.S.W., University of Toronto
- B.A., University of Guelph
On The Web
Article in The Conversation, January 12, 2020:
Research
Diana's current research?investigates?the effectiveness of arts-based/mindfulness-based group work.?Her?research interests include?group work,?holistic practices,?and strengths-based approaches. ?Diana has supervised graduate students in the areas of mindfulness, arts-based group work, Aboriginal girls and resilience, various social work practices, vicarious trauma, gender, and mental health.
Awards
- Faculty of Health Excellence in Research Award (2018-2019)?
Publications
Coholic, D. with MacEwan, L. (2022). Social Group Work: A Strengths-Based Approach. Northrose Educational Resources.?
Coholic, D., Schwabe, N., & Lander, K. (2020). A scoping review of arts-based mindfulness interventions for children and youth. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00657-5? (Open Access)
Coholic, D. (2019). Facilitating Mindfulness: A Guide for Human Service Professionals. Whitby, ON:?Northrose Educational Resources. ?See:?https://www.northrose.ca/northrose-titles.html?
Coholic, D., Dano, K., Sindori, S., & Eys, M. (Feb 4, 2019).?Group work in mindfulness-based interventions with youth: A scoping review [Special issue].?Social Work with Groups.?
Coholic, D., Schinke, R., Oghene, O., Dano, K., Jago, M., McAlister, H., & Grynspan, P. (Feb 12, 2019).?Arts-based interventions for youth with mental health challenges.?Journal of Social Work.???https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017319828864
Coholic, D., Eys, M., McAlister, H., Sugeng, S., & Smith, D. (2018). A mixed method pilot study exploring the benefits of an arts-based mindfulness group intervention with adults experiencing anxiety and depression.?Social Work in Mental Health, 16?(5), 556-572.?doi: 10.1080/15332985.2018.1449774