In partnership with the Â鶹´«Ã½ and Humber Polytechnic - Faculty of Social & Community Services
Loving Across Racial and Cultural Boundaries: Interracial and Intercultural Relationships and Mental Health Conference
Image Credit: Kateryna Kovarzh
We are pleased to announce an upcoming conference exploring the intersections of interracial and intercultural relationships, mental health and well-being! As societies become increasingly diverse, romantic partnerships that cross racial, ethnic, and cultural boundaries present a complex and multifaceted reality, full of both unique challenges and profound enrichment. This conference seeks to create a collaborative, engaging and inclusive space to share research, clinical practices, personal narratives, and community-based insights on the psychological, emotional, and relational dimensions of mixedness and cultural hybridity.
Key Themes Include:
- Interracial and intercultural relationships and family dynamics
- Crossing and navigating racial, ethnic and cultural boundaries
- Impacts of racial, ethnic and cultural ambiguity and identity navigation on mental health and well-being
- Experiences of discrimination, microaggressions, and cultural dislocation
- Therapeutic and culturally affirming frameworks for supporting interracial and intercultural couples and mixed-race people
- Community resilience, belonging, and resistance
We welcome scholars, clinicians, activists, artists, students, and individuals with scholarly and clinical experience relevant to the themes listed above as well as individuals with lived experience of interracial, interethnic and intercultural mixing to participate in this multidisciplinary dialogue.
This conference will deepen our understanding, challenge assumptions, and amplify diverse voices within counselling psychology, social work, and mental health and relational landscapes of mixed-race and intercultural communities.
Adding to the experience, we are excited to partner with the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies (CDTPS) to bring you a special event. Join us for a series of short reading performances, inspired by Frantz Fanon, on Friday, October 24 from 7–9 p.m.
Important Dates
Deadline for submissions: Friday, September 19, 2025
Registration deadline: Friday, October 10, 2025
Conference event: Friday, October 24, 2025 and Saturday, October 25, 2025
Frantz Fanon Play Reading Performances
Finding Fanon: Artist, Healer, Activist at the Luella Massey Studio Theatre at the University of Toronto.
Agenda
Friday, Oct 24, 2025
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:00 - 9:30 am | Registration |
| 9:30 - 9:45 am | Welcome and Introductions |
| 9:45 - 11:00 am | Keynote Panel |
| 11:00 - 11:15 am | Coffee Break |
| 11:15am - 12:15 pm | Research Papers |
| 12:15 - 1:15 pm | Lunch Break |
| 1:15 - 2:30 pm | Keynote Panel |
| 2:30 - 3:00 pm | Coffee Break |
| 3:00 - 5:00 pm | Voices of Interracial and Intercultural Couples and Families |
| 5:00 - 6:30 pm | Dinner and Reception |
| 7:00 - 9:00 pm | Frantz Fanon Play Reading Performances Finding Fanon: Artist, Healer, Activist at the Luella Massey Studio Theatre at the University of Toronto. |
Saturday, October 25, 2025
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10:00 - 10:30 am | Registration |
| 10:30 - 11:45 am | Keynote Panel |
| 11:45 am - 12:45 pm | Voices of Interracial and Intercultural Couples and Families |
| 12:45 - 1:45 pm | Lunch |
| 1:45 - 3:00 pm | Parallel Workshops |
| 3:00 - 4:00 pm | Plenary and Conclusion |
Event Partners
About the Speakers
Dr. Gita Seshadri
Associate Professor, Couple and Family Therapy at Alliant International University, USA
Dr. Hemalatha Ganapathy-Coleman
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Director, Centre for South Asian Critical Humanities, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada
Dr. Jody Metcalfe
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Art and History, Utrecht University, Netherlands
Dr. Kelley R. Kenney and Mark E. Kenney
Emeritus Professor of Education/Higher Education at Kutztown University, Consultant and Coach, USA
Accreditation Coordinator, Masters in Psychology and Counselling Accreditation Council, USA
Dr. Marguerite Lengyell
Assistant Professor, Applied Psychology, Western University, Canada
Dr. Rachael Olufowote
Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Alliant International University, USA
Dr. Reihaneh Mahdavi
Assistant Professor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Alliant International University, USA
Dr. Shivon Raghunandan
Professor, Faculty of Social and Community Services, Humber Polytechnic, Canada
Dr. Shruti Singh Poulsen
Professor, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Alliant International University, USA
Dr. Tabitha Webster
Professor, Couple and Family Therapy at Alliant International University, USA
Deanna Rudder
MA Candidate, Clinical and Counselling Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada
Jennifer Patterson
PhD Candidate, Couple and Family Therapy at Alliant International University, USA
Hanieh Naeimi
PhD Candidate, University of Toronto, Canada
