H

 

Cassandra Hanrahan

Associate Professor

CHanrahan_Profile

Email: cassandra.hanrahan@dal.ca
Phone: 902-494-1349
Fax: 902-494-6709
Mailing Address: 
School of Social Work
H University
Suite 3212, Mona Campbell Building,
1459 LeMarchant Street
PO Box 15000 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2
 
Research Topics:
  • Intersectional analysis, affirmative ethics and becoming
  • Posthumanism, anthropocentrism and social work
  • Human-animal interaction and relations
  • Animal-assisted interventions
  • Deep-ecological social work
  • Spirituality and social work

Education

  • BA, McGill University
  • MA, University of Toronto
  • PhD, University of Toronto
  • Master's Certificate in Project Management, York University
  • MSW, York University

Biography

Dr. Cassandra Hanrahan is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, H University. Her PhD in sociology and equity studies and master’s in social work combine to form a strong basis in social justice for both her scholarship and teaching philosophy. She teaches courses from a trans-disciplinary perspective in the core areas of theoretical foundations and social policy in the BSW and MSW, campus and distance education programs. Her primary interest is in the inter-relatedness of human, other animal, and environmental health and welfare, and the dynamic relationships between all three that affirm our kinship and remind us of our place in the web of life. A related interest in spirituality is aimed at fostering an active awareness of our interconnections as the foundation of human compassion for all living beings, and as a pathway toward sustainable health practices and ecological stewardship.

Prior to her appointment at H, Dr. Hanrahan was an independent visual arts curator and programmer for film and media arts festivals for equity-seeking groups; a focus that developed out of her dissertation on the role of visual narrative production and reception in relation to empowerment and resilience. Through conference presentations, popular and academic publications, and experience creating original film and media arts programs for community groups, she has substantive experience in knowledge translation. Her curatorial work, combining her knowledge of critical social theories with community capacity building, includes Rendezvous with Madness, Canada’s leading mental health film festival at Toronto’s Centre for Addictions and Mental Health; a cornerstone of which was the facilitation of post-screening Q&As and symposiums with mental health service providers, consumers, advocates and the general public.

Grants Received

  • “Spirituality in Shifting Dynamics and Evolving Narratives: A Transdisciplinary Research Symposium”.$16,913.30.University of Calgary,Transdisciplinary Scholarship/ Consolidating Connector Grant.July 1, 2023-July 31, 2024.Team Members:Dr. Heather Boynton (Project Holder);Dr. Cassandra Hanrahan; Dr. Allan Donsky; Abigail Williams; Dr. Indrani Margolin; Dr. Jaspreet Kaur; Dr. John Coates; Dr. John Graham
  • Principal Investigator, "Animal-Assisted Interventions in Nova Scotia: Investigating Current Practice Within the Health Professions”. $140,483. Establishment Grant, Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF) (October 2013 - October 2016). Co-Investigator: Dr. Atsuko Matsuoko; Associate Investigator: Dr. Paula Hutchinson; and, Mentor: Dr. Jan Fook.

  • Principal Investigator, "Social Work Practitioners and the Human-Companion Animal Bond: A Provincial Study”. $15,000 from Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (October 2011 – October 2012). Co-Investigator Christina-Risley-Curtiss

  • Principal Investigator, "Social Work Practitioners and the Human-Companion Animal Bond: A Provincial Study”. $2,000 from H Faculty of Health Professions, Research Development Grant (March 2011 – March 2012).

  • “Human, Animals and the Environment: An Inclusive Approach to Social Theory and Practice”. $1,500 from H Faculty Travel Grant. Invited paper presented at the International Conference on Health, Wellness and Society, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. (January 2011)

  • Principal Investigator, “Human, Animals and the Environment: An Inclusive Approach to Social Theory and Practice.” $3,500 from H Research Development Grant (May, 2010 – May, 2011).

Publications

  • Hanrahan, C. & Bolton, A. (2023).Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) in situ, relationship and context: AAI as adjunct practice in healthcare and animal-informed education, Journal of Human-Animal Interactions.
  • Hanrahan, C. (2022). Being and Becoming: The Transformative Power and Resilience of Person-Canine Bonds. InThe Gifts We Receive from Animals: Stories to Warm the Heart. Edited ByLori R. Kogan.New York, NY: Routledge
  • Hanrahan, C., & Boulton, A. (2021). Animal-assisted interventions in Canada: AAI as potential field guide in/to alterity relations. Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin Volume 12, No. 1, 45-70.
  • Hanrahan, C. (2021).An Entangled Path: Human Animal Interaction and Social Work.InCareer Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists, (eds.) Lori Kogan and Phyllis Erdman. New York, NY:Taylor& Francis, Routledge.
  • Chalmers, D., DellC., Rohr, B., Dixon, J., Dowling, T., & Hanrahan,C. (2020). Recognizing Animals as an Important Part of Helping: A Survey Exploring Knowledge and Practice Among Canadian Social Workers,Critical Social Work,21( 1),2-29.
  • Hanrahan, C., & Chalmers, D. (2020). Animal-Informed Social Work. InCritical Clinical Social Work: Counter storying for Social Justice, (eds.) Catrina Brown and Judy MacDonald. Toronto: Canadian Scholar’s Press
  • Hanrahan, C., Sabo, B. M., & Robb, P. (2017). Secondary Traumatic Stress and Veterinarians: Human–Animal Bonds as Psychosocial Determinants of Health. Traumatology. Advance online publication.(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved.)


  • Hanrahan, C.(2016).Being with Different Beings: Social Work and Trans-Species Spirituality. In Laura Béres (Ed.),Practising spirituality: Reflections on meaning-making in personal and professional contexts.U.K.: Palgrave Macmillan

  • Hanrahan, C. (2015). Integrative Health Thinking and the New One Health Concept: All for ‘One’ or ‘One’ for All? In Thomas Ryan (Ed.), Animals in Social Work: Why and How They Matter. U.K.: Palgrave Macmillan
  • Hanrahan, C. (2013). Social Work and Human Animal Bonds and Benefits in Health Research: A Provincial Study. Critical Social Work, 14(1).

  • Hanrahan, C. (2012). Critical Social Theory and the Politics of Narrative in the Mental Health Professions: The Mental Health Film Festival as an Emerging Postmodern Praxis. British Journal of Social Work, 1-20; doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcs041
  • Hanrahan, C. (2011). Challenging Anthropocentricism in Social Work Through Ethics and Spirituality: Lessons from Studies in Human-Animal Bonds. Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, Special Edition, 30(3), 272-293.

In Media

  • July 2023 Dal School of Social Work faculty and graduate are ‘breaking the species barrier’ in Nova Scotia through veterinary social work.Dal News Online.