Akua Kwarko-Fosu, MA
PhD4, Counselling Psychology
Research Interests: Mental health among forcibly displaced and newcomer populations; mindfulness and compassion-based interventions; arts-based mental health interventions
Biography: Akua is a doctoral candidate in the Counselling Psychology at McGill University. Throughout her academic journey, she participated in several projects examining community belonging, resettlement and mental well-being using qualitative methods. She explored how young people’s mental well-being was impacted by their experiences of settlement, racism and/or racialization. Akua is deeply invested in research examining mindfulness and compassion-based interventions, arts-based approaches to mental health, and mental health promotion among forcibly displaced and newcomer populations. Her doctoral research focuses on developing a mindfulness and compassion-based intervention with and for forcibly displaced individuals grounded within the Welcome Haven project, a community-based psychosocial support program in Quebec.
Akua is currently completing a clinical practicum at the New Frontiers School Board and working at Milestone Clinic. She has completed a practicum at the McGill Psychoeducational and Counselling Clinic.
Supervisors: Dr. Bassam El-Khoury & Rachel Kronick, M.D.
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MA Counselling Psychology (Project Stream), McGill, 2024
MA Recreation and Leisure Studies (Thesis), University of Waterloo, 2022
BA Honours Psychology and Therapeutic Recreation (Co-op Program), 2019
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Malaket, M., Salam, Z., Regyal, P., Del Real, F., Fakhri, R., Alzaghoul, A., Senaratne, N., Satti, A., Elejla, S., Kwarko-Fosu, A., Mezdaoui, S., & Kronick, R. (2025) Co-construire un havre d’accueil en temps d’incertitude: Un récit de pratique d’ateliers de groupe auprès de familles et personnes en demande d’asile au Québec. Submitted to Travail social, Numéro « Regards sur les situations des personnes immigrantes à statut précaire au Canada ».
Mariamo, A., Martin-Storey, A., Kwarko-Fosu, A. T., & Temcheff, C. E. (2024). Prospective psychosocial predictors of sexting: A systematic review. Manuscript submitted for publication. Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Kwarko-Fosu, A. T., & Lopez, K. J. (2022). “It’s the small stuff you can’t see”: Stories of mental wellness, community, and leisure told by new arrivants of colour to a mid-sized, South-Western Ontario city. Leisure/Loisir, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2022.2159863
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Kasprzyk, A., Kwarko-Fosu, A., & Khoury, B. (2025, June). Gender minority stress, mindfulness, rumination, and mental health outcomes: A moderated mediation among transgender and gender diverse adults [Poster presentation]. International Conference on Mindfulness-Asia Pacific, Hong Kong, China.
Kwarko-Fosu, A., Kasprzyk, A., Dias Martins, C., & Khoury, B. (2025, June). Depression as a moderator of mindfulness in couples and sexual satisfaction among adults in committed relationships [Poster presentation]. International Conference on Mindfulness-Asia Pacific, Hong Kong, China.
Kwarko-Fosu, A., & Lopez, K. J. (2025, June). The false narrative of Canadian multiculturalism: Racialized realities and the caveat of immigration [Snapshot presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association Convention, St. John’s, NL, Canada.
Dias Martins, C., Kasprzyk, A., Kwarko-Fosu, A., & Khoury, B. (2025, June). Sexual satisfaction as a mediator on mindfulness in couples & relationship satisfaction [Poster presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association Convention, St. John’s, NL, Canada.
Kwarko-Fosu, A. T., Sinacore, A., Mariamo, A., Lavigne, R.-M., Martin-Storey, A., & Temcheff, C.E. (2024, June). Adolescent girls' knowledge of and attitudes towards sexting through focus groups in Montreal [Poster presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association Convention, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Mariamo, A., Martin-Storey, A., Kwarko-Fosu, A. & Temcheff, C.E. (2024, May). Prospective Psychosocial Predictors of Sexting: A Systematic Review [Poster presentation]. Life History Research Society Conference, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Kwarko-Fosu, A. T. (2019, April). New Canadian Stories of Mental Wellness, Leisure and Community in Kitchener-Waterloo. Symposium presented at the Graduate Leisure Research Symposium, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
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Funding:
Canada Graduate Scholarships – Doctoral, SSHRC, 2025-2028, $120,000
PhD Graduate Excellence Fellowship, 2024-2025, $6,000
Walter & Mary Marsh Fellowship, McGill University, 2022, $5,125
University of Waterloo Graduate Scholarship, 2021, $2,000
President’s Graduate Scholarship, University of Waterloo, 2021, $1,667
Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s, SSHRC, 2020, $17,500
Lyle S. Hallman Graduate Research Scholarship, 2019, $3,334
Awards:
Graduate Excellence Award, McGill University, 2022, $5,000
Graduate Excellence Recruitment Award, 2024-2025, $10,000
Increasing capacity for Maternal and Paediatric Clinical Trials (IMPaCT) Training Award, 2025-2026, $35,000
Graduate Enrolment Driven Incentive Award, 2024-2025, $1,500
Anti-Black Racism Graduate Award, 2022, $2,500
Applied Health Science Graduate Experience Award, 2019-2021, $10,800
Recreation and Leisure Studies Alumni Scholarship Award, 2019, $1,000
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