Raquel Faria Chapdelaine

Position: Instructor

Department: Psychology/Social Science

Faculty: Humanities and Social Sciences

Office: DL A3140

Office Phone: (604) 777-6350

Email: chapdelainer@douglascollege.ca 

Education and Credentials

  • Ph.D., Applied Social Psychology, University of Saskatchewan
  • M.A., Applied Social Psychology, University of Saskatchewan
  • B.A., Clinical Psychology, Catholic University of Minas Gerais (Brazil)

Dr. Raquel Faria Chapdelaine (or “Dr. C” as her students call her) has been a full-time faculty member in the Psychology Department at Douglas College, Vancouver, since 2011. She earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Before moving to Canada in 1994, Dr. Chapdelaine obtained a professional degree in Clinical Psychology from the Pontifical Catholic University in Minas Gerais, Brazil, where she pursued clinical work with adults and worked as a psychologist resident in psychiatric hospitals.   

Academic and Professional Profile

Throughout her career in Canada, Dr. Chapdelaine has conducted applied research (e.g., outcome evaluation, evaluability and needs assessments) in healthcare, education, and multiculturalism. Via her private practice, Faria Consulting and Applied Research, Dr. Chapdelaine has employed process consultation to advise groups and individuals seeking insight into organizational conflicts. Dr. Chapdelaine's current academic and research interests focus on Psychology's critical history, ontological, and epistemological foundations. In addition, Dr. Chapdelaine seeks to understand how socio-political, economic, and cultural factors shape human experience and behaviour. The guiding question in her work is not ‘What is inside the mind?’ but rather, ‘What is the mind inside of?’.

Research

For her M.A. thesis, Dr. Chapdelaine examined the cultural adjustment of international students living in Canada, employing a social-skills model of culture. For her Ph.D. dissertation, she conducted an in-depth, qualitative study about the linguistic experiences of immigrant mothers as they pertained to mothers’ relationships with their children, partners, Canadian society, and self. In addition to having expertise in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, Dr. Chapdelaine has employed both the natural-scientific and the human-scientific approaches to guide her work.

Teaching Concentrations

Introduction to Psychology; Social Psychology, Cultural Psychology, Sociopolitical and Critical Psychology, Service Learning.

Courses

  • PSYC 1100
  • PSYC 1200
  • PSYC 3300
  • PSYC 3339
  • PSYC 3390

Open to Supervising Honours Students for 2023-24: NO

Professional Affiliations and Community Service

Dr. Chapdelaine has regularly participated in professional courses and activities with the Toronto Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (TPS&I). She also collaborates with interdisciplinary study groups to research the intersection between psychology and philosophy. In her previous role as program coordinator for the Psychology Service-Learning Program at Douglas College, Dr. Chapdelaine mentored and taught undergraduate students who worked with various community agencies and organizations in Metro Vancouver. These organizations provided programs for addiction recovery, homelessness, human rights, cognitive disabilities, and youth and child development. Finally, Dr. Chapdelaine is an active Douglas College Faculty Association member, having served on numerous committees.