Positionality Statement
- melissakonat
- Jan 18
- 3 min read
This is my first time writing a positionality statement, and the process has been deeply enlightening. I'm appreciative of my peers for openly sharing their experiences, values, and vulnerabilities. I understand that some aspects of positionality are fixed, while others are contextual and can change over time. This fluid state underscores the importance of engaging in ongoing self-reflection and reflexive approaches (Holmes, 2020).
I’m beginning to grasp the influence of my gender, skin-colour, social status and geographical location on my assumptions, preconceptions, beliefs and values (Sibbald et al., 2025). I'm a White, able-bodied woman (she/her), in my mid-forties born and raised in southern Ontario. I am in a heterosexual marriage and have two children. As a settler/colonizer, I benefit from multiple forms of unearned privilege, which make up the top portion of Nixon’s coin model of privilege and critical allyship (Nixon, 2019).
I live in a middle‑ to upper‑class, predominantly white neighbourhood with a wealth of accessible community resources. I am fortunate to be within walking distance of schools, libraries, pools, community recreation centres, parks, and walking trails. I also have convenient access to public transportation, hospitals, specialty health clinics, and grocery stores.
As a child however, I grew up in a single‑parent household marked by financial hardship, an estranged father, and the ripple effects this had on my family of origin and later relationships. During my childhood, I had anxiety and other mental health challenges that went unrecognized and undiagnosed. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to recognize how these lived experiences have shaped my values, beliefs and assumptions on mental health and ableism.
I currently hold a Bachelor of Arts in Therapeutic Recreation and Recreation and Business and I’m pursing a Master of Health Studies with a focus on Leadership and Health Promotion. My personal and professional values have led me to healthcare and the field of Therapeutic Recreation (TR). Some of my core professional values include empathy, wellbeing, social connectedness, engagement, life-long learning, communication, belonging, accountability, and self-motivation. I believe these values have remained stable and consistent over time.
My current role and interest in health promotion is rooted in the Biopsychosocial Model of health, which is a holistic model that acknowledges key determinants of health and the complex integration of biological, psychological and social factors in the assessment, prevention and treatment of diseases (Havelka et al., 2009).
I have a passion for working with older adults and share the growing concern around population aging and the rise in mental health conditions among this group. Notably, that depression and anxiety in older adults are often underrecognized and undertreated (WHO, 2023). Addressing this gap has become a central focus of my health promotion journey.
To close, I’m sharing a particularly poignant quote from our unit 1 readings:
“From now on instead of ‘vulnerable people’ I'm going to use the phrase ‘people we oppress through policy choices and discourses of racial inferiority.’ It's a bit longer but I think will help us focus on where the problems actually lie.” Marcia J. Anderson
References
Havelka, M., Lucanin, J. D., & Lucanin, D. (2009). Biopsychosocial model--the integrated approach to health and disease. Collegium antropologicum, 33(1), 303–310. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19408642/
Holmes, A. G. D. (2020). Researcher positionality--A consideration of its influence and place in qualitative research--a new researcher guide . Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(4), 1-10.
Nixon, S. A. (2019). The coin model of privilege and critical allyship Implications for health. BMC Public Health, 19, 1637. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7884-9
Sibbald, K. R., Phelan, S. K., Beagan, B. L., & Pride, T. M. (2025). Positioning positionality and reflecting on reflexivity Moving from performance to practice. Qualitative Health Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323241309230
World Health Organization. (2023, October 20). Mental health of older adults.
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