CHAIR
Dr. Helen Ofosu
Email: helen@ioadvisory.com
Dr. Helen Ofosu has been practising industrial /organizational psychology (also known as work or business psychology) in the public and private sectors for almost 20 years. She completed her studies at McMaster University and the University of Windsor. In addition to career and executive coaching, her specialties include the assessment and development of leadership skills, and navigating the complex issues of workplace bullying, harassment, diversity and inclusion.
Prior to starting her consulting practice in 2012, Dr. Ofosu worked for the federal public service at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (now Global Affairs Canada), the Department of National Defence, and the Public Service Commission. She has developed online screening tests, structured interviews, role plays and simulations, etc. for evaluating job applicants’ skills and behaviours as part of the hiring and promotion process.
Dr. Ofosu has always been interested in business and entrepreneurship. Consequently, she’s excited about her new role as a board member with the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce. She’s also thrilled to be one of the founding officers of the Section on Black Psychology, CPA. In addition to the official/stated goals of the section, she hopes this becomes a safe space and community for black students and practitioners of psychology (and their allies).
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CHAIR-ELECT
Dr. Linda Iwenofu
Email: linda.iwenofu@utoronto.ca
Dr. Linda Iwenofu is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the department of Applied Psychology and Human Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), and she is a licensed Clinical Psychologist in Ontario. Dr. Iwenofu specializes in the psychological assessment and treatment of children, youth and families presenting with a wide range of difficulties (e.g., learning problems, relational issues, trauma, ADHD, behavioral problems). She has experience providing psychological services in diverse settings including public schools, community mental health agencies and various private practice clinics.
Dr. Iwenofu is the Director of the Power in Youth Research Lab (www.powerinyouthlab.com), where she specializes in research examining how racism impacts the health of Black children and youth. She provides clinical training and teaches graduate-level courses on anti-racist and anti-oppressive approaches to professional psychological practice. She regularly provides consultation and support to health and educational practitioners who work in schools, community, and private practice settings. Her firm commitment to community-centered practice and to minimizing inequities in professional mental health service shines through in her involvement in numerous advocacy roles at local, national and international levels. Dr. Iwenofu is passionate about decolonizing school and clinical child psychology education and practice, hoping to help inspire a new generation of diversified scholar-practitioners.
PAST-CHAIR
Mrs. Kafui Sawyer
Email: kafuisawyer@joyhrc.com
Kafui Sawyer is a Psychotherapist and a Mental Health/Trauma Consultant for Health Canada. She is also the Clinical Director for Joy Health and Research Centre (a mental health clinic in Ottawa), providing clinical supervision and training to clinicians. Kafui is the Founder and Chair of the Black Psychology Section of the Canadian Psychological Association. Kafui is a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Trainer and a specialist in treating personality disorders. Kafui has provided mental health services and training to numerous clinicians across Canada, including the Arctic Region. Kafui completed her graduate studies in Counselling Psychology at Trinity Western University, British Columbia and extended her Community Mental Health Education and Research in Queensland, Australia. Kafui also worked as a clinician and suicide prevention coordinator for the Ministry of Children and Family Development in British Columbia. While working for the BC government as a clinician she also provided trauma and addiction services to a treatment centre that primarily served Indigenous youth and their families. Kafui is a creative entrepreneur passionate about advocacy that engages low socio-economic groups, complex clients, and varying cultures. Kafui has been featured on CBC news and several radio stations in Canada. Kafui has long advocated for mental health programs in schools and faith communities, as well as racial inclusivity in the discipline and profession of psychology. Kafui is grounded in Christian spirituality and strives to bring hope to the hopeless and to serve in her professional capacity with joy and freedom. Kafui is a loving mother of 3. She resides in Ottawa with her family.
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Dr. Tatijana Busic
Email: tatijana@busicpsychology.com
Dr. Tatijana Busic, Ph.D., is a licensed organizational and clinical psychologist with nearly two decades of experience. She has dedicated her career to enhancing resilience and emotional intelligence in individuals, both personally and professionally. Her organizational work focuses on developing values-driven and purpose-driven cultures by transforming leadership from the inside out. Dr. Busic also provides trauma-informed psychological services to individuals, with a mission to help people heal and thrive through difficult experiences. Her life’s mission is to cultivate greater well-being in our world by empowering people to inspire change in themselves, their relationships, careers, and organizations. She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology and Human Development from the University of Toronto and has been featured in several media outlets, including the Harvard Business Review and CBC.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Dr. Manal Guirguis-Younger
Email: Mguirguis-younger@adler.edu
Manal Guirguis-Younger, Ph.D., R. Psych., is the Director of the PsyD program at Adler University in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dr. Guirguis-Younger’s research is focused on the areas of community, homelessness, palliative care, volunteer resources, and alternative models of health-service delivery to marginalized groups. Her work maps the unique health and social needs of various under-serviced populations at the end of life, providing recommendations on how to overcome the challenges impeding access to equitable health services. Throughout her career, and more strongly in recent years, she has been involved in academic leadership, models of governance, and program development. Prior to her appointment at Adler University, she served in multiple roles at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario, including Director of Graduate Studies, Director of MA and Doctoral-level Counselling Programs, as well as Dean of the Faculty. She has been extensively involved in EDI and Indigenization initiatives.
NEWSLETTER EDITOR & OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Ms. Jennifer McWilliams
Email: jsanfor1@unb.ca
Jennifer McWilliams is a PhD Candidate in Experimental Psychology at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton campus. Her research interests include the psycho-social impact of social and cultural practices on the daily lives of marginalized populations and women in men-dominated occupations, the effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination on Black women and men, exercise prescription practices of mental healthcare professionals, and how exercise may buffer the negative affects of microaggressions on marginalized individuals’ quality of life and well-being. During her Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)-funded Master’s project, she examined the experiences of ageing career women firefighters in Canada. Her PhD thesis, which is supported by SSHRC and the O’Brien Foundation, focuses on mental healthcare professionals’ exercise prescription practices for individuals with mental health disorders. During her graduate degree, she has also conducted research that focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recently graduated undergraduate students in Canada and hiring discrimination against Black women in engineering occupations. Jennifer is excited and honoured to act as the Graduate Student Representative for the Section on Black Psychology, CPA!
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Ms. Barbara Afram
Email: barbarajafram@burmanu.ca
Barbara Afram is a 4th-year psychology student at Burman University. Barbara was born in Toronto, but she is a proud Ghanaian.
Barbara is passionate about spirituality, family, and her future. She is currently working as a research assistant in the Selection and Recruitment Lab at the University of Calgary, but has other research interests in human sexuality and its expression in Christian denominations.
In her free time, Barbara enjoys reading, travelling, and practicing self-care in efforts to manage stress.
Psychology has a vast number of sub-disciplines, making the pursuit of higher education in the field daunting to students; especially Black students who already face crippling educational disparities. As Undergraduate Student Representative for the Black Psychology Section, her aim is to empower Black undergraduate students by directing and providing them with information and opportunities.
“…it’s time we ignite a passion for psychology in Black students who have no idea about the number of opportunities available in the psychology profession.”
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
Ms. Tatenda Manolo
Email: joylenemanolo@gmail.com
Tatenda grew up in Zimbabwe and moved to Canada in her late teens; she’s currently a psychology student.
Tatenda has experience working with newcomers to Canada, women escaping abuse, young adults with FASD, and residents of retirement homes and long-term care facilities. Those experiences piqued an interest in the field of psychology, including cross-cultural psychology, the dark triad, developmental disorders across the lifespan, addictions, substance use and abuse, health psychology, program evaluation, women’s health and psychopathology, particularly mood and anxiety disorders.
Tatenda enjoys having stimulating conversations, reading, travelling, and socializing with friends and family. She is honoured to take on this role and is excited about the work that awaits. The African proverb states, “If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” She anticipates collaborating with others.