On this episode of Just One Q, Dominique chats with applied social psychologist Dr. Sara Kafashan about the practice of “identity as curriculum.” They discuss the professional risks and emotional labour involved when facilitators use their lived experience in DEI work or to teach sensitive topics, and explore how organizations can better support those doing this vulnerable and essential work.
Sara Kafashan, PhD, is an applied social psychologist, educator, and consultant whose work integrates mental health, adult learning, and human-centered organizational change. With a background in higher education and community-based research, she designs and facilitates learning experiences that are evidence-based, trauma-informed, and grounded in lived experience. Sara’s approach blends psychological insight, critical pedagogy, and systems thinking to create environments that are inclusive, deeply humanizing, and transformative. Her work supports individuals and organizations in navigating complexity with care, fostering cultures where equity, belonging, and growth can thrive.
She will be featured in the upcoming book “Mad Studies in Education: Critical Pedagogy and Mad Praxis in the Classroom” scheduled to be published by Springer Nature in December 2025. Sara’s chapter is “Risks and Rewards: How lived experience and diverse identities intersect with teaching”
Full citation:
Spring, L. & Kafashan, S. (In press). Risks and Rewards: How lived experience and diverse identities intersect with teaching. In. A. Davies, L. Spring, M. Castrodale, & J. Cosantino (Eds.), Mad Studies in Education: Critical Pedagogy and Mad Praxis in the Classroom. Springer Nature.
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