Dr. Sylvie Rivard
Francophone Director (2020-2024)
Sylvie Rivard (RSW) is a Francophone originally from Northeastern Ontario, and has been a Lecturer at Laurentian University’s School of Social Work since 2006. After obtaining her BSW (1989) and her MSW (1998), she has worked in diverse settings related to women’s and children’s health and mental health. These experiences allowed her to develop a specialty in clinical social work with children, women, and also in the fields of sexuality and oncology.
Sylvie's doctoral thesis (Laurentian University) aims to understand the health, sexuality and identity of Francophone women living in a minority situation who are struggling with gynecological cancer. She teaches courses in French related to helping relationships, working with children, sexuality, various theoretical approaches in clinical intervention, and critical analysis of direct practice in social work.
Sylvie’s volunteer community involvement on various local, provincial and national advisory committees relates to accessibility/availability of social services, health and mental health status of Francophones living in minority settings, advocacy for linguistic rights and promotion of the profession.
Sylvie is passionate about training future social workers and she values collaborative, egalitarian, feminist and anti-oppressive practice. Ethics, professionalism, respect and critical reflexivity in the integration of professional knowledge are at the heart of her professional identity and practice. She possesses a strategic and systemic vision, and she hopes to use these critical analytical strengths to act as a leader of OASW, to support its mission of advancing the profession and to represent the voice of Francophone members.