I graduated with my BA (honours) in Psychology with a minor in Gender & Women’s Studies from Dalhousie in 2015, and have been involved in the Couples and Sexual Health Lab since early 2013, first as a volunteer and then as a research assistant and independent research student. I am privileged to be involved with several studies in the Lab as a part of my work as a research and laboratory coordinator, including recruitment, participant support, and survey technical support for the “ALOE Study’, and administrative support for ‘Hey Baby! Couples’ Study’, and ‘Project Journey’.
I was awarded a Summer Studentship Award from the IWK Health Center’s Research Services two years running (2014 and 2015). Most recently, as a part of the Genito-Pelvic Pain in Pregnancy and Postpartum Study, I assessed women’s motivations for engaging in sexual activity during pregnancy despite the variety of changes and barriers that they may face, and how these motivations relate to their sexual outcomes. I also look forward to sharing the results from my independent research project, which assessed whether increasing participants’ focus on a recent sexual event that they engaged in to pursue certain types of goals (approach goals or avoidance goals) would affect their perceptions of their romantic and sexual relationship.
My research interests are varied within the realm of human sexuality, including the reasons why people have sex and how these reasons affect their relationships, and how people maintain positive sexual and relationship wellbeing over time, particularly when faced with circumstances such as the changes accompanying a pregnancy or when experiencing sexual problems. I also have a keen interest in issues regarding sexual consent and sexual education, as well as how we, as researchers, can make research more inclusive.
Our Studies That I am or Have Been Involved With –
- Daily Goals in Couples with Vulvodynia
- Comparison of Couple Therapy and Medical Treatment for Provoked Vestibulodynia (PVD)
- Genito-pelvic Pain in Pregnancy and Postpartum and its Partner Addition (nicknamed the Childbirth Study)
- Couples Coping with Low Sexual Arousal/Desire Study
- CODEs: Couples Sexuality and Relationship Study
- Postpartum Couples Study (An Addition to the Childbirth Study)
- Experimental Goals Study (an MTurk study)
- The Intimacy Observation Study
- Project Journey
- Hey Baby! Couples’ Wellbeing Study
- Baby Makes 3! Postpartum Couples’ Wellbeing Study
- ALOE
