Course

Cultural Competency and Counselling with Canada's Indigenous Peoples

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Course Code
PSYC 3333
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15 weeks
Max Class Size
35
Method(s) Of Instruction
Lecture
Course Designation
Certificate in Global Competency
Industry Designation
None
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
Cultural awareness, cultural competence and cultural safety are important components in understanding the psychological health and wellness of Canada's Indigenous peoples. This course is designed to enhance students' competencies in understanding and working with Indigenous individuals and communities. The course will facilitate development of self-awareness, theoretical knowledge, and Indigenous knowledge of colonization and its impact on Indigenous peoples. It will introduce the social, historical, political, spiritual, and philosophical contexts that inform the psychological experiences of many Indigenous peoples and communities in Canada. The course will review concepts and principles of counselling psychology that enhance our understanding of and effectiveness in addressing client issues and multiple identities. The course also emphasizes counsellor roles and responsibilities for social justice and advocacy and provides learners with a foundation of knowledge and skills required to provide culturally appropriate counselling services to Indigenous families and individuals.
Course Content

1. Impact of colonization on psychological health

   a. Epidemics

   b. Residential schools

   c. Laws

   d. Indian Act

2. Counsellor roles and responsibilities with Indigenous Peoples

   a. Cultural competency/safety

      i. Definitions

      ii. Utility

      iii. Action

   b. Ethical principles and professional practice

3. Social justice issues in Counselling Indigenous Peoples

   a. Intersectionality: Multiple identities related to age, ability, gender, sexual orientation and identity, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, spirituality, socioeconomic status, and other intersecting aspects of identity

   b. Advocacy and ally work with Indigenous Clients

Learning Activities

The course will involve a number of instructional methods, such as the following:

Lectures

Small/large group discussions

Personal reflections/activities

Presentations

Video content

Guest lectures

Means of Assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Evaluation includes some of the following:

1. Multiple choice, short answer, or essay exams

2. Term paper, research project, or written assignments

3. Group activities/work

 

The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be: 

Exams - 25%

Assignments/reflection papers on course activities – 25% 

Term paper -20%

Presentation -20%

Participation -10%

To attain a passing grade in this course, students must complete 80% of in-class experiential group activities to successfully recognize and practice skills, and develop cultural competency/humility.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, the successful student will be able to:

1. Describe and explain the history of colonization and its biopsychosocial impact on Indigenous peoples in Canada.

2. Describe and explain cultural awareness, cultural competency and cultural safety.

3. Analyze personal values that could impact cultural competency.

4. Describe and explain concepts and principles of counselling psychology that enhance our understanding of addressing clients' "intersectionality".

5. Describe and explain counsellors' roles and responsibilities for social justice advocacy.

6. Describe and explain what knowledge and skills are required for cultural competence with Indigenous peoples and families.

7. Outline ethical and professional principles that guide social justice, cultural competence and advocacy work within counselling psychology.

Textbook Materials

Textbooks and materials to be purchased by students:

Textbooks will be updated periodically. Typical examples of textbooks are:

France, H., Rodriguez, & Hett. (current edition). Diversity, culture and counselling: A Canadian perspective. Calgary, Canada: Detselig Enterprises LTD.

Hart, S. (2003). Seeking Mino-Pimatisiwin: An Aboriginal approach to helping. Halifax, Canada: Fernwood Publishing.

Lane, P., Bopp, M., Bopp, J., & Brown, L. (current edition). The sacred tree. Lotius Press.

Waldram, J., Herring, A., & Young, T. (current edition). Aboriginal health in Canada: Historical, cultural, and epidemiological perspectives. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press.

Requisites

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100 and PSYC 1200

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for PSYC 3333
Athabasca University (AU) AU INST 2XX (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU PSYC 3XX (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR PSYC 2XX (3)
Columbia College (COLU) COLU PSYC 2nd (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU CNPS 3330 (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PSYC 2XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU PSYC 2XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PSYC 3XXX (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW PSYC 2XX (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC PSYC 3XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV FNST 2XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC CYC 1XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

Summer 2024