Merrick Pilling
Biographic Data
| ID | 4494945 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Merrick Pilling |
| GIVEN NAMES | Merrick |
| FAMILY NAME | Pilling |
| SIGNATURE | PILLING M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Toronto Metropolitan University |
| ORCID | 0009-0003-2149-3932 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 8 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Dismantling harm reduction funding in Ontario
This paper explores the slow opening and fast closing of SafePoint, the first official supervised drug consumption site in Windsor, Ontario. Using thematic and situational analyses of local media coverage to map the longstanding debate over establishing a supervised consumption site in the city, we detail how thematic positions on safety, location, and cost delayed its establishment. We then document SafePoint’s opening in April 2023 and its subs…
SLGBTQ+ competent trauma-informed care
We found that novel interventions to engage service providers in providing 2SLGBTQ+ competent TIC are impactful and merit further development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Policing harm reduction
The debate over whether or not to have police officers carry naloxone was waged long enough in Windsor, Ontario that it became referred to in the local media as “the naloxone issue.” Compared to other cities and towns in the Canadian province, Windsor was slow to equip police officers with the life-saving drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. In this paper, we document the unhurried development of this particular harm reduction measu…
I will play this tokenistic game, I just want something useful for my community’
Hiring peer researchers – individuals with lived experience of the phenomenon under study – is an increasingly popular practice. However, little research has examined experiences of peer research from the perspectives of peer researchers themselves. In this paper, we report on data from a participatory, qualitative research project focused on four intersecting communities often engaged in peer research: mental health service user/consumer/survivo…
Development and implementation of a 2SLGBTQ+ competent trauma-informed care intervention
Introduction: 2SLGBTQ+ people are more likely than their heterosexual and/or cisgender peers to experience violence and/or trauma in their lifetime. Many 2SLGBTQ+ people may need support related to experiences of violence and/or trauma. Yet, research has shown that a lack of 2SLGBTQ+ competence and capacity from service providers has resulted in barriers for 2SLGBTQ+ people accessing health and social services. This intervention seeks to fill an …
The Political Economy of Peer Research
Participatory research, or the practice of involving ‘peers’ with lived experience, has become popular in social work. Peer engagement is lauded for: ‘democratising’ the research process; providing ‘capacity building’ and facilitating opportunities to co-produce knowledge. Yet, these claims are rarely evaluated by empirical investigations into the socio-material work conditions of peer researchers. Here we present findings of a study that examine…
Interrogating Psychiatric Narratives of Madness
Fragmented inclusion
Community participation is often cited as a crucial component of wellness for people with mental health diagnoses. Few studies explore community participation from the perspective of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people with diagnoses of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This article describes an in-depth qualitative study with 16 LGBTQ people; 18 social service workers; and 2 key informants in Toronto, Ontario that examined …
The Political Economy of Peer Research
Participatory research, or the practice of involving ‘peers’ with lived experience, has become popular in social work. Peer engagement is lauded for: ‘democratising’ the research process; providing ‘capacity building’ and facilitating opportunities to co-produce knowledge. Yet, these claims are rarely evaluated by empirical investigations into the socio-material work conditions of peer researchers. Here we present findings of a study that examine…
Fragmented inclusion
Community participation is often cited as a crucial component of wellness for people with mental health diagnoses. Few studies explore community participation from the perspective of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people with diagnoses of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This article describes an in-depth qualitative study with 16 LGBTQ people; 18 social service workers; and 2 key informants in Toronto, Ontario that examined …
The Political Economy of Peer Research
Participatory research, or the practice of involving ‘peers’ with lived experience, has become popular in social work. Peer engagement is lauded for: ‘democratising’ the research process; providing ‘capacity building’ and facilitating opportunities to co-produce knowledge. Yet, these claims are rarely evaluated by empirical investigations into the socio-material work conditions of peer researchers. Here we present findings of a study that examine…
Interrogating Psychiatric Narratives of Madness
Development and implementation of a 2SLGBTQ+ competent trauma-informed care intervention
Introduction: 2SLGBTQ+ people are more likely than their heterosexual and/or cisgender peers to experience violence and/or trauma in their lifetime. Many 2SLGBTQ+ people may need support related to experiences of violence and/or trauma. Yet, research has shown that a lack of 2SLGBTQ+ competence and capacity from service providers has resulted in barriers for 2SLGBTQ+ people accessing health and social services. This intervention seeks to fill an …
I will play this tokenistic game, I just want something useful for my community’
Hiring peer researchers – individuals with lived experience of the phenomenon under study – is an increasingly popular practice. However, little research has examined experiences of peer research from the perspectives of peer researchers themselves. In this paper, we report on data from a participatory, qualitative research project focused on four intersecting communities often engaged in peer research: mental health service user/consumer/survivo…
Policing harm reduction
The debate over whether or not to have police officers carry naloxone was waged long enough in Windsor, Ontario that it became referred to in the local media as “the naloxone issue.” Compared to other cities and towns in the Canadian province, Windsor was slow to equip police officers with the life-saving drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. In this paper, we document the unhurried development of this particular harm reduction measu…
SLGBTQ+ competent trauma-informed care
We found that novel interventions to engage service providers in providing 2SLGBTQ+ competent TIC are impactful and merit further development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)
Dismantling harm reduction funding in Ontario
This paper explores the slow opening and fast closing of SafePoint, the first official supervised drug consumption site in Windsor, Ontario. Using thematic and situational analyses of local media coverage to map the longstanding debate over establishing a supervised consumption site in the city, we detail how thematic positions on safety, location, and cost delayed its establishment. We then document SafePoint’s opening in April 2023 and its subs…
Political science (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Mental Health and Patient Involvement (3 works) · Social Psychology (3 works) · Sociology (3 works) · Harm (2 works) · Harm reduction (2 works) · Health Policy Implementation Science (2 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (2 works)