Professor
Office: 167 Ferry St., room 211 Windsor, ON N9A 0C5
Phone: (519) 253-3000 ext. 3078
E-mail: ckvarfo@uwindsor.ca
Scholarly Interests/Areas of Expertise
- Direct Practice and Mental Health
- Survey Research
- Mindfulness
- Transpersonal Theory
- Religion/Spirituality in Social Work Practice and Education
- Children’s Spiritual Development
Educational Background
Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University
M.S.W. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
M.Ed. University of Utah
B.S. University of Utah
Certificate in Marriage and Family Therapy
Biographical Sketch
Connie Kvarfordt comes to academia with 13 years’ practice experience mainly in the area of mental health. This includes working with children, adolescents, and adults as a school social worker, juvenile court intake officer, individual and family therapist, crisis-line supervisor, and evaluator of programs related to working with people with disabilities. Her scholarship focuses on increasing our knowledge about social work practitioners’ ethical integration of the human dimension of spirituality (also thought of as existential meaning making and/or consciousness development) at the individual and community level as well as its application to social justice. Transpersonal theory, Buddhist psychology, and the recent proliferation of mindfulness-based therapies as these relate to the experiences of adversity and wellbeing are of particular interest to her current scholarship. She primarily teaches direct practice courses with individuals. Her teaching pedagogy includes developing and facilitating experiential and reflective learning activities as it pertains to skill acquisition.
Awards and Recognition
2011 – 2017 Service Award: Board Member and Vice President of Board for Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association (BANA), Windsor, Ontario
2013 Celebration of Contribution: Centre for Executive and Professional Education (CEPE), University of Windsor, Ontario
2010 Best Quantitative Empirical Article of 2009: Journal of Social Work Education (JSWE)
Administrative Roles
2021 – present PhD Program Coordinator
2009 – 2014 Coordinator of Off-Campus Programs: MSW for Working Professionals
2007 – 2009 Graduate Program Coordinator
Professional Service Roles
2020 – present Advisory Board Member of Child Friendly Faith Project (CFFP). https://childfriendlyfaith.org/
2020 – 2021 School of Social Work Faculty Liaison and Networking Member of Ontario Association of Social Workers (Southwestern Branch).
Media Activities
Radio interview AM 800 CKLW, What social workers need to know about religious and spiritual abuse. Melanie Deveaux Show, Windsor, Ontario (2007).
Daily News, University of Windsor, Study says most social workers see spiritual abuse. (2007).
Courses Taught
Undergraduate
02-47-117 Meeting Human Needs Through Social Welfare
02-47-210 Social Work and Diversity
02-47-336 Theory and Practice of Social Work with Individuals
02-47-338 Theory and Practice of Social Work with Families
Graduate
02-47-531 Foundations for Advanced Social Work Practice with Individuals
02-47-547 Advanced Social Work Research: Practice Evaluation
02-47-621 Social Justice and Social Change
02-47-680 Internship Seminar
Selected Community-Based Workshops
Kvarfordt, C. L. (2019). Mindfulness and Self-Care: New Beginnings, Windsor Ontario
Kvarfordt, C.L. (Fall 2019). Mindfulness 8-Week Workshop: School of Social Work, University of Windsor
Kvarfordt, C.L. (Fall 2018). Mindfulness 8-Week Workshop: School of Social Work, University of Windsor
Kvarfordt, C.L. (Fall 2017). Mindfulness 8-Week Workshop: School of Social Work, University of Windsor
Selected Academic Presentations
Kvarfordt, C. L. (Jan 2022) Social Work Practitioners' Attitude and Behaviors about Religion and Spirituality When Working with Youth: Results of a U.S. and a Canadian Survey. 27 Et 28 Janvier 2022 : Les Spiritualitiés Dans Le Travail Socio-éducatif: A Suivre En Présentiel Ou En Streaming. Live Streamed: French National Academy for Youth Protection and Juvenile Justice: France.
Rizzo, L. Calderwood, K. A. & Kvarfordt, C. L. (2021). Online Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) Workshop Participants' Experience. TIR Organization: Anne Arbor, MI
Selected Publications and Technical Reports
Calderwood, K. A. & Kvarfordt, C. L. (in press). How Teaching Online Impacts Safety and Comfort: Experiences of Students and Instructors in the Context of Learning Counseling Skills Online, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Calderwood, K. A. & Kvarfordt, C. L. (in press). TIR Workshops: Can the online format be as effective as in-person? Applied Metapsychology International Newsletter: Anne Arbor, Michigan.
Calderwood, K., & Kvarfordt, C.L. (2021). Stress Reduction Peer Support Third-Year Social Work Placement Pilot Project. Technical Report to Trent University Durham Campus, Social Work Department, Ontario, Canada.
Calderwood, K. A., Kvarfordt, C. L., & Rizzo, L. (2021). Online traumatic incident reduction training: Student, trainer, and senior trainers’ experiences. Technical report by Trent University and University of Windsor.
Kvarfordt, C. L., & Herba, K. (2018). Religion and spirituality in social work practice with children and adolescents: A survey of Canadian practitioners, Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35(2), 153-167. DOI 10.1007/s10560-017-0513-5
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10560-017-0513-5
Kvarfordt, C. L., Sheridan, M. J., Taylor, O. (2018). Religion and spirituality in social work curriculum: A survey of Canadian educators. British Journal of Social Work, 48(5), 1-19
Kvarfordt, C. L., Carter, I., Park, W., & Yun. S. (2014). Integrating research proposals into a field seminar: Feedback from students. Journal of Teaching Social Work, 35(4), 545-569.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08841233.2014.957432
Carter, I., Yun, S., Kvarfordt, C. L., & Park, W. (2011). Integrating research activities and field experiences in graduate social work, Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education,14(1), 7-14.
http://www.profdevjournal.org/articles/141007.pdf
Gentry, T., Wallace, J., Kvarfordt, C. L., & Lynch, K.B. (2010) Personal digital assistants as cognitive aids for high school students with autism: Results of a community-based trial. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 32(2), 101-107.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18183505
Kvarfordt, C. L. (2010). Spiritual abuse and neglect of youth: Reconceptualizing what is known through an investigation of practitioners’ experiences. Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 28(2), 143-164.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15426431003708287?src=recsys&journalCode=wrsp20
Kvarfordt, C. L., & Sheridan, M. J. (2010). Predicting the use of spiritually-based interventions with children and adolescents: Implications for social work practice. Currents: New Scholarship in the Human Services, 9(1).
https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/currents/article/view/15885
Kvarfordt, C. L., & Sheridan, M. J. (2009). Understanding the pathways of factors influencing the use of spiritually-based interventions. Journal of Social Work Education, 45(3), 385-406.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.5175/JSWE.2009.200800071
Gentry, T., Lynch, K., & Kvarfordt, C. L. (2008). Personal digital assistants as cognitive aids for individuals with severe traumatic brain injury: A community-based trail, Brain Injury, 22(1), 19-24.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699050701810688
Kvarfordt, C. L., & Sheridan, M. J. (2007). The role of religion and spirituality in working with children and adolescents: Results of national survey. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 26(3), 1-23.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J377v26n03_01
Kvarfordt, C. L., Purcell, P., & Shannon, P. (2005). Youth with learning disabilities in the juvenile justice system: A training needs assessment of detention and court services personnel. Child and Youth Care Forum, 34(1), 27-42.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-004-0880-x
Shannon, P., Daly, D.C., Malatchi, A., Kvarfordt, C. L., & Yoder, T. (2001). Capacity for statewide implementation of positive behavior supports: A needs assessment strategy. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 3(2), 95-100.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/109830070100300206
Green, R. G., Kvarfordt, C. L., & Hayden, M.A. (1999). The middle years of the Decade Publication Project: 1994-1997. Journal of Social Work Education, 35(2), 195-202.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10437797.1999.10778959