University of Toronto

Ramona Alaggia   Associate Professor   Factor-Inwentash Chair in Children’s Mental Health   B.A./B.S.W. - McMaster University   M.S.W. - University of Toronto   Ph.D. - University of Toronto   Phone: (416) 978-1923   Fax: (416) 978-7072

Dr. Ramona Alaggia uses her considerable experience in the field of children's mental health working with children and families, to advance the work of the Factor-Inwentash Chair in Children's Mental Health in increasing awareness and knowledge of child and adolescent mental health issues. Dr. Alaggia recently served as Associate Dean Academic at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work where she is currently the Co-ordinator of the "Children and their Families" specialization stream. She centres her work around issues of child sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, children exposed to domestic violence, and inter-disciplinary responses to violence and abuse. Her teaching is focused on evidence based practices in parenting and interventions for youth with conduct and anxiety disorders, depression, and trauma based disorders. As well, she holds a scientist-practitioner position with Child Development Institute in Toronto where she is aiding in the development and evaluation of their programs in family violence, and promoting program innovation to serve families facing a host of challenges. She is currenty a member of the National Framework Review Committee, Child and Youth Advisory Committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Ramona Alaggia has had two major studies funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Currently she is conducting a study on policy and practice barriers to disclosure of woman abuse including intersections with child welfare systems, immigration policies and mandatory charging policies. Dr. Alaggia and her colleagues have recently completed a three year study funded by the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services examining differential response in cases of domestic violence in the child welfare system. She also recently completed her research exploring psychological, familial, cultural and environmental factors that contribute to disclosure of child sexual abuse. She has co-edited a book on family violence, Cruel but not Unusual: Violence in Canadian Families, which covers the issues facing families in Canada today. Dr. Alaggia is active in program development and evaluation of community-based programs for children and their families and works collaboratively with agencies such as Child Development Institute, Yorktown Family Services and BOOST (formerly Toronto Child Abuse Centre).

Dr. Alaggia has worked in the children's mental health field as a clinical director for children's services, family therapist, group counsellor, and program consultant. Her expertise in conducting trauma assessments, treatment groups for abused adolescents, and family treatment in cases of intra-familial sexual abuse assists in her current practice providing family treatment, individual therapy for clients dealing with traumatic childhoods, and consultation to programs delivering services to victimized children.

Dr. Alaggia teaches Foundations of Theory, Knowledge and Values in Social Work; Family Violence and Multi-disciplinary Response; and Social Work Practice with Families.

Interests

• Children's mental health and family practice
• Disclosure processes involving abuse and violence
• Effects and treatment of sexually abused children
• Intimate partner violence, impact on children and inter-disciplinary responses
• Development and evaluation of parenting programs

Selected Publications

Alaggia, R. (2010). An Ecological Analysis of Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure: Considerations for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, (19)1, 32-39.

Alaggia, R., Lambert, L., & Regehr, C. (2009). Where Is the Justice? Parental Experiences of the Canadian Justice System in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse. Family Court Review, Vol. 24, No. 4, 634-649.

Alaggia, R., Regehr, C., & Rischynski, G. (2009). Intimate Partner Violence and Immigration Laws in Canada: How Far Have We Come? International Journal of Psychiatry and the Law, 32 (6), 335-341.

Maiter, S., Stalker, C., & Alaggia, R. (2009). The Experiences of Minority Immigrant Families Receiving Child Welfare Services: Understanding Risk and Protective Factors, Families in Society, 90(1), 28-36.

Alaggia, R. & Millington, G. (2008) Male child sexual abuse: A phenomenology of betrayal. Clinical Journal of Social Work, 36(3), 265-275.

Dylan, A., Regehr, C, & Alaggia, R. (2008) And Justice for All?: Aboriginal Victims of Sexual Violence, Violence Against Women, 14(6), 678-696.

Regehr, C., Alaggia, R., Saini, M. & Lambert, L. (2008) Perspectives of Justice for Victims of Sexual Violence. Victims and Offenders 3(1), 99-113.

Alaggia, R., Jenney, A., Mazucca, J. & Redmond, M. (2007). In whose best interest? A Canadian case study of the impact of child welfare policies in cases of domestic violence, Journal of Brief Therapy and Crisis Intervention, 1-16.

Alaggia, R. & Turton, J. (2005). Against the odds: The impact of woman abuse on maternal response to disclosure of child sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 14 (4), 95-113.

Alaggia, R. & Kirshenbaum, S. (2005). Speaking the unspeakable: Exploring the impact of family dynamics on child sexual abuse disclosures. Families in Society, 86(2), 227-234.

Alaggia, R. (2005). Disclosing the trauma of child sexual abuse: A gender analysis. Journal of Loss and Trauma ,10 (5), 453-470.

Alaggia, R. (2004). Many ways of telling: Expanding conceptualization of child sexual abuse disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect: An International Journal, 28(11), 1213-1227.

Alaggia R. (2002). Balancing acts: Re-conceptualizing support in maternal response to intrafamilial child sexual abuse. Clinical Social Work Journal, (30) 1, 41-56.

Books & Book Chapters

Alaggia, R. & Vine, C. (Eds.) (2006) Cruel but not Unusual: Violence in Canadian Families, Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. 

Alaggia, R. & Csiernik, R. (2010). Coming home: Rediscovering the family inaddictions counselling. In Csiernik, R. & Rowe, W. (Eds.) Responding to the Oppression of Addictions: Canadian Social Work Perspectives. 2^nd edition. Toronto: Canadian Scholar’s Press.

Francis, A., Alaggia, R. & Csiernik, R. (2010). Multiple barriers: The intersection of substance abuse in the lives of women disclosing and seeking help for intimate partner violence, In Csiernik, R. & Rowe, W. (Eds.) Responding to the Oppression of Addictions: Canadian Social Work Perspectives. 2^nd edition. Toronto: Canadian Scholar's Press.

Alaggia, R. & Maiter, S. (2006). Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Issues for Immigrant and Refugee Families, 99-126. In Alaggia, R. & Vine, C. (Eds.) Cruel but not Unusual: Violence in Canadian Families. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.