With the release of the Canadian Psychological Association's (2018) response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) there has been increased attention on the ways psychology in Canada might better serve the needs of Indigenous communities, in particular in terms of education and professional training. To date, there has been almost no research conducted at the intersection of Indigenous communities and professional training in psychology in Canada. This article examines this issue from the perspective of Indigenous psychologists who are working as scholar-practitioners in graduate level professional psychology training programs. Through first-person editorial reflections, the authors identify key challenges and opportunities in professional training in psychology relevant to Indigenous peoples; and the changes that are needed to advance Indigenous peoples in the field. Finally, the study identifies various paradigms of professional training that hold promise for serving the interests of Indigenous peoples in professional training in psychology. Public Significance StatementThis study identifies challenges, opportunities, and strategies for the advancement of Indigenous peoples in the field of professional psychology, particularly through the lens of professional training and education. In addition, the study considers how professional training can better support the preparation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and psychologists to address the mental health needs of Indigenous communities.
BackgroundThere are unequivocal health disparities, both physical and mental, between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of Canada.MethodsUtilizing narrative inquiry, 15 néhiyawak (Plains Cree people) between 18 and 71 years of age from Thunderchild First Nation were interviewed to explore what improved their mental health and well-being and what they needed to attain optimal mental health and well-being. By posing questions that focused on the positive, the strengths and resilience of the néhiyawak came to the forefront.ResultsNarrative thematic analysis of interview data consistently revealed four overarching themes that highlighted what positively impacted néhiyawak mental health and well-being and their perceived needs to attain optimal mental health and well-being: relationships; spiritual beliefs and cultural practices; tānisīsi wāpahtaman pimātisiwin (worldview); and ēkwa ōhi kikwaya piko ka-ispayiki kīspin ka-nohtē-miyo-mahcihoyān (these are the things that need to happen if I want to be healthy). The néhiyawak in this study described holistic health determinants that correlate with the medicine wheel and the determinants of health, and described these holistic health determinants as making a positive difference to their mental health and as necessary for them to obtain optimal mental health and well-being.ConclusionsThese results suggest that mental health programming and interventions should be harmonious with Indigenous culture; utilize a holistic approach that takes physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being into consideration; and address the existing mental health disparities using the determinants of health as a framework, with an increased focus on the current socio-economic status of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Currently, there is limited literature demonstrating awareness of how contemporary Aboriginal Peoples understand and define health, address their health concerns, and perceive barriers to obtaining optimal health. This knowledge is an important and essential first step in program planning for delivering effective health care for all aspects of health. An additional challenge is to effectively address and meet these needs in a timely manner which is critical to overall Indigenous wellness. The primary researcher, who is Indigenous (Plains Cree), wondered whether the social determinants of health were reflective and an appropriate framework to address the existing health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, and more specifically, the Plains Cree people from Thunderchild First Nation. This paper examines the results from a qualitative descriptive research study completed in Thunderchild First Nation, Saskatchewan. There were four predominant themes that were derived from the data: health was consistently described in relation to physical, mental (intellectual), emotional, and spiritual wellness; value of health; factors related to the environment; and factors related to economics. Collectively, there does appear to be a holistic perception of health, similar to the teachings from the Medicine Wheel. Pursuing and maintaining health included a combination of information and practices from both the western and Traditional Indigenous world. This data supports that the determinants of health may be an appropriate framework to address the health needs of Indigenous Peoples, and an appropriate frame for federal, provincial and local policy makers to implement structural changes necessary to decrease the health disparities between the Indigenous Peoples and the rest of Canada.
Objectives-To determine the incidence and nature of unreported and reported home accidents in older people and to investigate associated environmental factors.Design-Postal questionnaire requesting information on home accidents in the preceding month.Setting-Inner London general practice.
This article considers how to advance Indigenous education in counselling and clinical psychology in Canada, particularly at the intersection of curriculum, programmatic, and systemic shifts in graduate education. This article focuses on the curricular practices that the counselling and clinical psychology field could enact in efforts to advance reconciliation, reduce educational and mental health disparities that exist among Indigenous peoples in Canada, and strengthen Indigenous education in the field. To do this, the authors present a literature review on the status of Indigenous education research in counselling and clinical psychology and related fields in Canada and in similar international contexts. Centering analysis on the concept of Indigenization, a project concerned with infusing mainstream courses with content and pedagogical processes which speak to some experiences and concerns of Indigenous people, the authors present a framework for targeted changes in graduate curriculum. This framework organizes around the primary curricular domains of professional psychology, as well as some emerging domains of relevance for the fields of counselling and clinical psychology. The authors provide examples of Indigenous-specific psychological curricula and resources for Indigenization within psychology curriculum. Finally, the authors discuss the challenges and opportunities that Indigenization efforts in advanced psychological education present currently, as well as consider the role of self-determination in the future of Indigenous psychological education.
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