ATHABASCA UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE INTEGRATING CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE METHODS INTO CURRENT COUNSELLING PRACTICE IN CANADA: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FIRST NATIONS COUNSELLING MANUAL BY

• Main Author: Joanne Burns
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.615.7169; http://dtpr.lib.athabascau.ca/action/download.php?filename=caap%2FJoanneBurnsFinalProject.pdf

iii Individuals of First Nations descent remain dissatisfied with counselling services despite the profession’s commitment to strive toward culture-infused counselling. A review and critique of the literature addressing counselling services for indigenous people revealed themes for culturally respectful theories including feminism, constructivism, and social learning theory. Culturally sensitive counsellors were described as having an awareness of cultural biases, an understanding and respect for the worldview of their clients, and the ability to integrate wholistic approaches into their practices. This project culminates with a support manual for counsellors and agencies striving to integrate culturally appropriate methods into current practices with the aim of enhancing counselling experiences for First Nations people. Strengths and limitations of the project are discussed along with recommendations for future research. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS