This perspective of the field of counselling psychology in Canada provides a snapshot of the profession within the context of time and place. The field is described in terms of how it was shaped by two national organizations as well as the regional associations. Current licensing requirements, definitions, foci, and philosophies of counselling psychology in Canada are discussed. Also reviewed are the work settings, activities, and training requirements of counselling psychologists. Events that influenced the field are identified along with the opportunities and challenges these events continue to provide. Notable examples are provided of links between the field in Canada and international organizations and projects. Counselling psychology in Canada continues to be characterized by fluidity, contextualized definitions, and diverse practices. This poses some risks and opportunities for the future development of the field as a distinct Canadian profession differentiated from other fields within professional psychology in Canada.
It is important that counsellors provide evidence regarding the efficacy of their services. Although there has been an increased focus on generic outcome measurement of counselling programs and services, little attention has been paid to accountability issues for meeting the needs of diverse populations. This article highlights the increasing relevance of cultural diversity for evaluation practices, using examples from the Canadian context. An overview is provided of the key issues for evaluation of programs and services involving culturally diverse individuals and how evaluation must incorporate social justice issues within service provision. Evaluation strategies are elaborated along with suggestions for enhancing the intercultural competence of evaluation personnel.
Counselling psychology in Canada is a distinct and vibrant professional area representing the contributions of many people and events within a unique context. This article elaborates a number of defining moments or actions that reveal the distinct nature of this professional area through a recursive and interactive process with the social context. A number of ways forward are proposed as specific professional developments, as well as the resolution of a number of substantive issues identified within the recently adopted definition of counselling psychology. Moving forward as a discipline and a practice will actualize the potential of counselling psychology as both world and life enhancing.
Although the provision of student services for distance learners is recognized as critical, the development of effective services for distance learners has been minimal. This paper will provide an overview of a recently initiated project designed to provide student services via audio teleconferencing to a population of Post-R.N. Bachelor of Nursing students at the University of Calgary. A series of psycho-educational workshops was developed to ease the transitions first to the distant student role and then back to the role of worker. These workshops were implemented and evaluated in terms of both process and content. Evaluation results indicated that the teleconference delivery of psycho-educational workshops is effective in providing support services to distance students.
Consistent with the definition of participatory action research (PAR), in which 'research participants are ideally involved and in control at every stage of the research and in which the goal is to take action on the research findings for positive social change' (p. 10), the stated goals of this 72-page booklet are to provide guidance to community organizations in how to initiate and conduct research that results in social change. This guide to PAR was formulated through a number of consultations and meetings held by the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW). After defining concepts such as 'research', 'PAR' (from a feminist perspective), and 'good versus bad research', guidelines are then outlined for conducting PAR from the initial conceptualization of a research topic through to the final evaluation of the completed project. Extensive consideration is provided about a variety of methods for communicating the research results so as to promote social change. A brief section addresses ethical issues and provides a list of common problems encountered in PAR with related solutions. In the final section of the booklet, a summary of a literature review regarding issues and challenges in feminist PAR is provided. These issues and challenges include (a) the implicit assumptions and biases in research methods, (b) whether the researcher should be part of the community or outside of the community being researched, (c) research ethics that are sensitive to the values and issues of diverse communities, (d) managing power differentials in establishing and maintaining collaborative working relationships, and (e) establishing effective communication strategies throughout all stages of the project. The guide ends with a list of articles, books and web-based resources for further information.This guide provides an ambitious overview of key concepts and issues in research in general and feminist participatory action research in particular. It provides some simple descriptions of complex concepts, seemingly for readers (members of community organizations for whom the book is written) who have little knowledge regarding these topics. There is also a clear summary of the basic PAR procedures including useful guidelines regarding how to communicate the research results to precipitate social change. Sprinkled throughout are case studies and examples of PAR conducted nationally and internationally that demonstrate research issues or procedures.It is questionable whether this guide actually achieves the stated goals for this audi-
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