Dr. Laura Lewis

Dr. Laura Lewis

Dr. Laura Lewis

Associate Professor

Phone: 519-433-3491
Email: llewis2@uwo.ca

Graduate Program Coordinator 2012 - 2017

Education

  • 2003 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD in Social Work) Smith College, Northampton, Mass
    Dissertation: The Use of Physical Objects in Mourning by Midlife Daughters who have lost their mother     
  • 1990 Master of Social Work University of Windsor
  • 1987 Bachelor of Social Work  King’s University College at Western University

Selected Publications

Chapters in Refereed Books

Lewis, L., & Gorman, E., (2024). Vimy Ridge to the Menin Gate: Dark Tourist Journeys of Secular Pilgrimage and Internal Hauntology. In I. McIntosh, D. Monro, A. Smith, S. Dunn Hensley. (Eds.), Pilgrimage in the Twenty-First Century: A Kaleidoscopic Inquiry (pp. 182–200). Cambridge Scholars Publishing.  ISBN13: 978-1-0364-0636-3

Gorman, E., & Lewis, L., (2024). Bereavement Support Groups? No Thanks: I’m Dating. In K. Jones, & M.Robb, (Eds), Men and Loss: New Perspectives on Bereavement, Grief and Masculinity (pp. 164-175) Routledge.ISBN 978-1-0323-6823-8

Lewis, L. (2015). Battling in the Minefield of Sexual Marketing Imagery. In G. Hufnagel (Ed.), The Reproductive Lives of Twenty Middle Class North American Women (pp. 139 – 149). Lewiston NY: Edwin Mellen Press.

Lewis, L. (2008). Silences in Teaching and Learning/LesVoix du silence dans l’academie. In B. Warland (Ed.), Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (pp. 85)

Lewis, L. & Brown, J.B. (2008) The Use of Physical Objects in Mourning by Midlife Daughters. In T.C. Haliburton, C. Edwards (Eds.), Mortality, Dying and Death. Global Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Vol. 53 (eBook from the 5th Global Conference on Making Sense of  Dying and Death) (pp. 167 – 180). Oxford, United Kingdom: Inter-disciplinary Press

Chapters in Edited Books

Lewis, L., (2016) Aberbanc Ein Bore Bach Ysgoi Gynradd Aberbanc 1848-2016. Penrod 10:Y Cyn-ddisbyblion. Llandysul, Ceredigion: Wasg Gomer, pp.106-109    

Lewis, L.& Hoy, W.G., (2011). Ritual and the Creation of Legacy. In Neimeyer, R., Winokuer, H., Harris, D., & Thornton, G. (Eds.) Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society: Bridging Research and Practice. (pp.315-323) New York, NY:Routledge.  

Lewis, L., & Gorman, E., (2011) Losses Related to Developmental Milestones: An Analysis of the Post-Parental Transition. In D. Harris (Ed.) Counting our Losses: Reflecting on Change, Loss and Transition in Everyday Life.  New York, NY: Routledge.

Other Book Contributions

Lewis, L & Lewis, J., (2019) In Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario  Farmerettes.S. English & B, Sitter (Eds). Friesens Co., p.84-85.

Papers in Refereed Journals

Lewis, Laura and Gorman, Eunice (2025) "A Spiritual Pilgrimage to a Celtic Homeland: Searching and Internalising in Grief from Stone to Sea. A Collaborative Autoethnography," International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol. 12: Iss. 4, Article 8. doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/kt9m-xy33 Available at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol12/iss4/8

Lewis, L (2022). “Mothering as a Social Worker: The Gifts and the Tyranny” in Social Work, Motherhood and Mothering: Critical Feminist Perspectives Journal of the Motherhood Initiative. pp.77-88.

Brown, J.B., Lewis, L., Ellis, K., Beckhoff, C., Stewart, M., Freeman, T., Kasperskil, M.J. (2010). Sustaining Primary Health Care Teams: What is Needed. Journal of Interprofessional Care. Pp. 1 – 3. Doi: 10.3109/13561820903417608

Brown, J.B., Lewis, L., Ellis, K., Stewart, M., Freeman, T., Kasperskil, J.(2009_ Mechanisms for Communicating on Primary Health Care Teams. Canadian Family Physician (55). (pp. 1216 – 1222)

Lewis, L & Brown, J.B. (2008) Accessing Mother Within: A Study of Midlife Daughters’ Use of Maternal Belongings in Mourning. Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Vol.10 (2). pp. 134-145.

Recent Papers Presented at Refereed Conferences

Lewis, L. & Gorman, E., Our Deceased Fathers, Ourselves – A Collaborative Autoethnographic Exploration. The Agency of the Dead in the Lives of Individuals: Experience and Conceptualization Conference, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia August 30, 2024.

Lewis, L. & Gorman, E., A Spiritual Pilgrimage to a Celtic Ancestral Homeland; Searching, Internalizing and Meaning-Making in Grief from Stone to Sea Sacred Journeys 11th Global Conference, Kyoto, Japan, July 01, 2024.

Lewis L., & Gorman, E. Don’t Make Me Put Out the Flames of our Burning Planet with my Tears: Climate Grief and Ecoanxiety, Canadian Society for Spirituality and Social Work, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 23, 2023.

Lewis, L., & Gorman, E., From Vimy Ridge to the Menin Gate: Dark Tourist Journeys of Internal Hauntology,  Sacred Journeys: !0th Global Conference  Malta, July 06 2023.

Lewis, L., and Gorman, E., On Hallowed Ground: Using Digital Technology to honor WW1 ancestral sacrifice at the Menin Gate CDAS -Centre for Death and Society Conference, Bath England on-line. June 2021

Gorman, E., & Lewis, L., Dying,dead bodies and beauty. Progressive        Connections Conference: The Stories our Bodies Tell.  On-Line July 2021

Gorman, E & Lewis, L., Being with Dying: Taking off our Coats Before Entering the Room. The End of Life Experience Conference. Bruges, Belgium. April, 2019.

Gorman, E., & Lewis, L., Taking off our Coat Before Entering the Room. Hospice  Palliative Care Ontario. Richmond Hill, Ontario. April, 2019.

Gorman, E., & Lewis, L., Leading by Example: Social Work, Wonder and Presence and the Palliative Care Team. Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network. Orlando, Florida. March, 2019.

Gorman, E., & Lewis, L. “I See Dead People.” HPCO: Hospice Palliative Care Ontario Conference. Richmond Hill, April, 2018.

Gorman, E., & Lewis, L., Rekindling Wonder in Clinical Practice. Paper presented at the International Congress on Palliative Care. Montreal, Quebec. October, 2018.

Lewis, L., & Gorman, E. Grief’s Poetic Journey: How poetry reveals grief and bereavement theory. National Association of Poetry Therapists, Denver, April 2017. 
 
Lewis, L., & Gorman, E. Finding you there: How the deceased’s possessions influence and shape grief. SWHPN Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network Conference. Scottsdale, February 2017.

Lewis, L, & Gorman, E. Feron, A. Exploring Communication at the End of Life.  21st International Congress on Palliative Care. Montreal. October, 2016.

Lewis, L. Mothering Adolescent Females: The Unique Challenges of our Times. International Conference on Mothering, Toronto, October, 2016 

Hameed, S., Lewis, L., Vingilis, E., State, S., Psychotherapy in Family Medicine. Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Care Conference. June 2014  

Gorman, E.,Lewis, L., Reclaiming Ritual at the End-of-Life. Paper presented at HPCO- Hospice and Palliative Care Ontario Conference. April 2014

Lewis, L., Gorman, E., & Feron, A., Talk with Me: Exploring Communication at the End-of-Life. SWHPN Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network. San Diego, California. March 2014

Lewis, L., How do Deceased Family Members Shape the Family? The Echo of the Missing Member. Paper presented at ICAPP International Conference. Reykavik, Iceland. July 2013.