Allison Stickney

Topic

The Lived Experiences of Child and Youth Care Practitioners Who Use Tactile Objects in Practice

School of Child and Youth Care

Date & location

• Monday, August 22, 2022
• 10:00 A.M.
• Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Nevin Harper, School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
• Dr. Jon Woodend, School of Child and Youth Care, UVic (Member)

External Examiner

• Dr. Tim Black, Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, UVic

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Sajin Koroth, Department of Computer Science, UVic

Abstract

This study explores the lived experiences of using tactile objects in Child and Youth Care (CYC) Practitioners’ practice. This thesis includes the definition and scope of tactile objects, explores what being a CYC practitioner means, describes the many roles that CYC Practitioners hold, and shares what CYC Practitioners articulate about the use of tactile objects in their office space and environment. This study gathered narratives from CYC Practitioners who work with clients and provide or utilize tactile objects in their practice. By interpreting the narratives, themes identified how tactile objects are used, what beliefs guide their use, feelings that come up in use, and ideas about outcomes from their use, along with some emerging observations. The results from this study provide a case for increased education for CYC Practitioners, better tools for them and their clients to have access to, and will help fill the gap in CYC literature about tactile objects in practice.