Marion Van Horn, Faculty Lecturer, Retired

Marion Van Horn started her academic life at Simon Fraser University with a joint major in Sociology and Anthropology. Years later she enrolled in the Special BSW at McGill followed by a MSW. As a social work practitioner she brings supervisory as well as rich and diverse clinical social work experience to her teaching.  Her work in youth protection offered opportunities to develop an interest in domestic violence, socially constructed gender differences governing expectations of mothers and fathers, the complex relationship between neglect and poverty, and the development of cultural competencies—specifically with black families and orthodox Jewish families. These interests eventually led to other aspects of social work theory and practice that continue to inform her teaching, including relationship-based social work and an understanding of the self in social work practice as a ‘tool’ of intervention. As part of her work with families facing multiple challenges, she had the opportunity to explore attachment theory, the impact of unresolved grief and intergenerational transmission of trauma and loss, and their consequences on parenting and child development. Through these experiences she acquired strong clinical skills in systems theory, family assessment and intervention. To further her clinical skills she enrolled in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the ICFP – JGH. Her teaching experiences as a sessional lecturer have deepened her interest in the perspectives students bring to the classroom learning environment which have broadened her academic interests.