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Dr. Nancy Lee Heath

Title: 
Professor
Academic title(s): 

Distinguished James ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ ProfessorÌý|ÌýDirector, Development and Intrapersonal Resilience Research (DAIR) TeamÌý| Co-Founder/Co-Director, Self-Injury Outreach and Support (SiOS)Ìý| Director of Education for Mental Health Resilience Office, Faculty of Education

Dr. Nancy Lee Heath
Contact Information
Email address: 
nancy.heath [at] mcgill.ca
Phone: 
514-398-3439
Address: 

Education Building
3700 rue McTavish
Montréal, Quebec H3A 1Y2
Canada

Division: 
Educational Psychology (M.Ed.) Supervisors
School/Applied Child Psychology Supervisors
Department: 
Educational and Counselling Psychology (ECP)
Professional activities: 

Research Partner, Centre of Excellence for Mental Health (CEMH), Lester B. Pearson School Board

Area(s): 
Mental Health, Intervention and Psychopathology
Areas of expertise: 
  • Building mental health resilience in educational settings
  • Mindfulness
  • Non-suicidal self-injury
  • Emotion regulation
  • Student stress and coping
Biography: 

Dr. Nancy Heath is a Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology (ECP) and holds the award title of Distinguished James ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Professor. Her research program explores resilience and adaptive functioning in young people at risk (children, adolescents, and young adults) and she is an international leader on non-suicidal self-injury. She is a founding member and Past-President of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS), and the recipient of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies' Dr. Suning Wang Award for Outstanding Graduate Mentorship, the Canadian Committee of Graduate Students in Education’s Mentorship Award, and ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ's David Thomson Award for Graduate Supervision and Teaching, all in recognition of her outstanding support for graduate students. She has published and presented extensively on topics related to mental health and resilience in educational settings and has worked in collaboration with schools for more than 25 years. Dr. Heath has received generous funding in research grants from provincial, national, international, and foundational agencies.

Dr. Heath's research team is committed to conducting both applied and basic research addressing issues of mental health resilience in students of all ages. They focus on issues related to mental health inÌýelementary, secondary, post-secondary educational settings; examining emotion regulatory difficulties, stress, coping, mindfulness and non-suicidal self-injury. They are very committed to outreach and support of youth/young adultsÌýwho are struggling. To this end, the team provides workshops and online outreach and training around issues related to students’ mental health and wellnessÌýat every age. We commonly use participatory action research approaches, working together as equals with community-based partners and those with lived experience of mental health challenges and/or self-injury.Ìý

Degree(s): 
  • Post-Doctoral Fellowship, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada
  • PhD, Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Canada
  • M.Ed., Counselling Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada
  • BA, Psychology, ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ, Canada
Prizes and Awards: 
Distinguished James ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Professor
Selected publications: 

Petrovic, J., Mettler, J., Böke, B. N., Rogers, M. A., Hamza, C. A., Bloom, E., Di Genova, L., Romano, R., & Heath, N. L. (2024). The effectiveness and acceptability of formal versus informal mindfulness among university students with and without recent self-injury: A randomized controlled trial. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Ìý

Zito, S., Petrovic, J., Böke, B. N., Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Exploring the stress management and well-being needs of pre-service teachers. Journal of Teaching and Teacher Education, 152, 104805. ÌýÌý

Lewis, S. P., Collaton, J., Heath, N. L., & Whitley, R. (2024). Lived experience views on what contributes to self-injury stigma: A thematic analysis, Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 43(2). ÌýÌý

Mettler, J.,Ìý Mills, D. J., & Heath, N. L. (2024). The role of mindfulness and flow in predicting problematic video game use. The Journal of Happiness Studies, 25, 109. Ìý

Petrovic, J., Sadowski, I., Böke, B. N., Mettler, J., Bastien, L., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Perceived degree of reaching adulthood: A novel predictor of emerging adults’ well-being in emerging adulthood. Current Psychology. Ìý

Petrovic, J., Mills, D. J., & Heath, N. L. (2024). A Self-Determination Theory perspective on the relationship between emotion regulation styles, mindfulness facets, and well-being in adults with self-injury. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 80, 2029-2044. ÌýÌý

Mettler, J. , Zito, S., Bastien, L., Bloom, E., & Heath, N. L. (2024). How we teach mindfulness matters: Adolescent development and the importance of informal mindfulness. Journal of School Psychology, 105, 101323. ÌýÌý

Moumne, S., Petrovic, J., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Dimensions of emotion regulation as mediators of the relationship between implicit theories of emotion with stress and well-being. Psychological Reports, 1-19. Ìý

Simundic, A., Argento, A., Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Perceived social support and connectedness in non-suicidal self-injury engagement. Psychological Reports, 1-16. Ìý

Petrovic, J.*, Mettler, J.*, Cho, S.*, & Heath, N. L. (2024). The effects of loving-kindness interventions on positive and negative mental health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 110, 102433. ÌýÌý

Cho, S., Bastien, L., Petrovic, J., Böke, B. N., & Heath, N. L. (2024). The role of mental health stigma in university students’ satisfaction with web-based stress management resources: Intervention study. Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Formative Research, 8(1), e50018. ÌýÌý

Böke, B. N., Petrovic, J., Zito, S., Sadowski, I., Carsley, D., Rodger, S., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Two for one: Effectiveness of a mandatory personal and classroom stress management program for pre-service teachers. School Psychology, 39(3), 312-324. ÌýÌý

Simundic, A., Van Hove, L., Baetens, I., Bloom, E., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Non-suicidal self-injury in elementary schools: School educators’ knowledge and professional development needs. Psychology in the Schools, 61(5), 1868-1880. ÌýÌý

Petrovic, J., Milad, J., Mettler, J., Hamza, C., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Surprise and delight: Response to informal versus formal mindfulness among university students with self-injury. Psychological Services, 21(3), 674-684. ÌýÌý

Böke, B. N.,  Joly, M., Bastien, L., & Heath, N. L. (2024).  Keep it brief: Can a 4-item stress screener predict university adjustment over 18 months? Higher Education Research & Development, 43(5), 1026-1039. ÌýÌý

Joly, M.,  Petrovic, J.,  Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2024). A longitudinal investigation of university adjustment among students with and without a history of non-suicidal self-injury.  Journal of American College Health, 72(5), 1496-1506. ÌýÌý

Petrovic, J.,  Bastien, L., Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2024). Mindfulness receptivity, dispositional mindfulness, and coping self-efficacy in university students with and without a history of self-injury. Journal of College Student Mental Health, 38(1), 57-76. ÌýÌý

Program: 
  • M.A. Human Development
  • Ph.D. Human Development
  • M.Ed. Concentrations in Educational Psychology
  • M.A. School/Applied Child Psychology
  • Ph.D. School/Applied Child Psychology
Graduate supervision: 

Not accepting students for 2025-2026

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