Dr Sarah Golightley

Lecturer

Social Work and Social Policy

Personal statement

My research, teaching, and social work practice have focused on supporting marginalised people who have experienced violence. I am passionate about uplifting the perspectives of service users/survivors/lived experience experts and challenging the power inequalities in who is listened to in social research and social work practice. I am especially interested in Disability Studies, Mad Studies, and feminist research methods. My present research focus is on institutional violence and the pathologisation of youth in the USA 'troubled teen industry'. Prior to moving into academia, I worked with LGBTQ+ victims/survivors of domestic abuse and LGBTQ+ homeless youth.

Expertise

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Qualifications

PhD Social Work, MScR SW, PgCAP - University of Edinburgh
MA Social Work - University of Sussex
BA Sociology (Minor in Psychology) - McGill University

Professional registrations:

Social Worker, Scottish Social Services Council
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Publications

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Publications

Troubling the 'troubled teen' industry : adult reflections on youth experiences of therapeutic boarding schools: Golightley Sarah; Global Studies of Childhood Vol 10, pp. 53-63 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1177/2043610619900514
'I'm gay! I'm gay! I'm gay! I'm a homosexual!' : overt and covert conversion therapy practices in therapeutic boarding schools: Golightley Sarah; British Journal of Social Work Vol 53, pp. 1426-1444 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcad049
Troubling the ‘troubled teen industry’ : institutional violence, epistemic injustice, and psychiatrised youth: Golightley Sarah; (2024); https://doi.org/10.7488/era/4609
The Program : Netflix show exposes the dark side of America’s ‘troubled teens’ schools: Golightley Sarah; (2024)
Ableism and Social Work Education in England and Scotland: Golightley Sarah; Doing Feminisms in the Academy Identity, Institutional Pedagogy and Critical Classrooms in India and the UK (2020) (2020)
It's maddening : re-conceptualizing embodiments of mental and physical distress: Golightley Sarah; Journal of Ethics in Mental Health, pp. 1-11 (2019)

More publications

Teaching

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Teaching

Over my last three years at Strathclyde, I have been the module lead for several UG & PG Social Work and Social Policy modules:

Individuals, Families, and Structures in Society
Psychology for Social Work
Understanding Risk and Protection
Research Methods for Social Policy
Values, Ethics, and Justice

In addition, I supervise dissertation students and students on social work placements. I am passionate about critical pedagogy and teaching for social change.

I have a background in teaching and course design at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In 2023, I was a Teaching Fellow in Social Work at the University of Edinburgh and in 2021-2022 I worked with CAPS Independent Advocacy and Queen Marget University to establish the world's first Mad Studies degree programme. In 2025 I was nominated for a Teaching Impact and Innovation award.

Research

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Research Interests

My research focuses on the so-called 'troubled teen industry' in the USA and Canada. The troubled teen industry is a network of private residential youth reform programmes, including therapeutic boarding schools and wilderness therapy programmes. I have conducted mixed methods research on the retrospective accounts of former therapeutic boarding school students. My work has uncovered emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect, as well as numerous human rights violations within the industry. The research has been covered in international press and I have presented findings at conferences and talks around the world. My dedication to researching and raising awareness about this topic is underlined by my own history of having been a therapeutic boarding school student.

Beyond this, my areas of research also inlcude Mad Studies, Critical Disability Studies, crip theory, queer theory, and feminist theory/research methods/pedagogy. I am the organiser of Strathclyde's annual international Mad Studies Guest Lecture series.