Patti Ranahan

Dr. Patti Ranahan is a Professor in the Applied Human Sciences department at Concordia University, specializing in youth work and mental health. With over two decades of practice experience in child and youth care across residential care, crisis shelters, and mental health services, she integrates clinical practice with academic research. She serves as a clinical supervisor for the Connect program, focusing on parent-youth attachment and trauma-informed care, and as Editor-in-Chief of Child & Youth Services.

• PhD in Curriculum and Instruction (University of Victoria, 2011)
• MA in Child and Youth Care (University of Victoria, 2007)
• BA in Child and Youth Care (Malaspina University College, 2001)
• BA in Sociology/Anthropology and English (Carleton University, 1995)

Her research emphasizes education as intervention through suicide prevention training, mental health literacy development, and youth work pedagogy. She employs qualitative methods like grounded theory and discourse analysis to explore parent-youth relationships and caregiver support systems.

Key research themes include:

• Mental health literacy in youth work
• Suicide prevention education
• Attachment-informed parenting interventions
• Trauma-informed care
• Qualitative research methodologies