Week 1 Culturally Responsive and Socially Just (CRSJ) Counselling

In most weeks of this course, the study process is designed around a set of learning outcomes and related key concepts that expand competencies in the CRSJ counselling model. There is considerable evidence that you will learn more effectively when you

• are engaged in a relational process that includes interaction with each other and with the course instructor;
• are exposed to ideas through diverse media;
• are exposed to experiential or applied practice activities, rather than simply reading and reflecting; and
• are invited to bring yourself and your expertise into the learning process to co-construct new ideas and meanings in collaboration with others.

Our hope is that these principles into the design of this course. One of the challenges in teaching multicultural counselling and social justice is the breadth of learning that is included under this umbrella. In thirteen weeks, it is impossible to do justice to

• the components of cultural competency (i.e., the expectations of counsellors in terms of professional attitudes, knowledge, skills, and actions);
• a full appreciation of cultural diversity (i.e., understanding of the worldviews, values, lived experiences, challenges, strengths, and potential counselling needs of diverse populations);
• the impact of social injustice and inequity on the lived experiences of clients from nondominant populations (e.g., trauma, internalized oppression, loss of cultural identities/relationalities); and
• the implications of adopting a social justice lens on professional practice.

For these reasons, we will not cover all of the e-book content in this course; instead, you will be introduced to each of the competencies at appropriate points throughout your graduate program.

Another challenge is that each of you comes to this course with different levels of awareness and experience depending on your education, your work, and your life experience. For some of you, the concept of social justice may be relatively new; others may have a high level of critical awareness related to social and political injustices and inequities. Our hope is that the design of the course will enable you to build upon your current cultural competency and to learn from each other. You will notice that some weeks include optional learning activities. These will allow you, if you so desire, to explore in greater depth those concepts that are newer to you, or that you find more challenging.

Read the e-book Preface (Collins, 2018d) for an overview of the content and an introduction to the e-book’s unique features and navigation tools. Be sure to watch the video (reproduced below) on how to set up your e-book in Acrobat Reader. You may want to use the full screen option in the lower right of the frame for better viewing. Closed captioning is provided.

© 2018 Counselling Concepts. All rights reserved.

Then read Chapter 1 (Collins, 2018a) and Chapter 2 (Collins, 2018c), stopping at the table that contains the Expanded CRSJ Counselling Model (p. 23). These chapters introduce you to the 6 domains and 18 core competencies of the CRSJ counselling model, many of which form the disciplinary competencies targeted in this course. See the Course Introduction in Moodle. [Note: You can also access the Introduction page and other course content from the drop-down menu at the top of this page.]

We encourage you to return often to the visual image of the CRSJ model in Chapter 1, reproduced below, because it will help you position the themes of each week within the overall model.

Note. From Embracing cultural responsivity and social justice: Re-shaping professional identity in counselling psychology, by S. Collins, 2018, p. 13. Copyright 2018 by Counselling Concepts. Reprinted with permission. An audio file is provided below for students who may benefit from a verbal description of the diagram.

Go to the Enhanced, Interactive Glossary in the course text and watch the short navigation video. Then read the definitions for cultural responsivity and social justice; these concepts are foundational to the CRSJ counselling model. Within these glossary definitions, you may find other terms with which you are not familiar. Follow the links to explore other key concepts in a learner-driven, interactive way. Engage your curiosity to see where your exploration takes you. Concepts in the glossary are cross-linked to emphasize the interconnectedness of the ideas within the CRSJ counselling model. Do not be concerned if you are not familiar with terms linked within glossary definitions; you will address each of these concepts as you work your way through the course materials.

Please take a moment to review the Course Assignments and Assessment Criteria, in particular the description of the Assignment 1 Risk-Taking Journal. [Note: You can also access the Course Assignments page from the drop-down menu at the top of this page, or you can find this page in Moodle under the Assignments section.] Then respond to the first Risk-Taking Journal question for Week 1 in Moodle. You may want to revisit this question and add to your response as the week progresses. Your Risk-Taking Journal provides an opportunity for you to work through philosophical issues, emotional reactions to course materials, values conflicts, or other challenges that arise as you move through the course. We encourage you to be honest in your reflections. We intend this course to be a formative learning process, and we understand that students come from different points in their competency development and from different worldviews. Although the ultimate goal is to support you to embrace the standards for competency of the professions of counselling and psychology, you may need time and the opportunity to talk through barriers to competence that arise. The Risk-Taking Journal is intended to provide a venue for this. There have been past students who struggled with the non-discriminatory and anti-oppressive expectations of professional practice. Most often, they have found support to embrace the higher order social justice values of the professions, while reconstructing or reframing their values or worldviews.

Each week, you will be introduced to one or more of the core competencies in the CRSJ counselling model. This week, the focus is on Domain I, Core Competency 1. Return to Chapter 2 (Collins, 2018c). Be sure to watch the E-Book Navigation Tips video. Then follow the link to Core Competency 1 in the Expanded CRSJ Counselling Model (p. 23). Locate the key concept cultural identities and its corresponding learning outcome. Follow the direct link to the glossary definition of the term. You can click on the heading for the term in the glossary to return to this table. Notice the links at the end of the learning outcomes (i.e., Chapter 3, Audet, Gunderson), which lead to applied practice examples from client stories or further explanations of each concept throughout the e-book. Use of the e-book in this way to allow you to integrate theory and practice by following a particular theme across various chapters. Choose one or more elements of cultural identities (e.g., social class, age, ability) to test out this feature and explore the perspectives of other contributors to the e-book

Ultimately, you are each responsible for your own learning process, and we invite you to be active contributors to the collective learning experience in this course. Start by introducing yourself to one another using the discussion thread titled, “Cultural Introductions,” in the Week 1 Class Discussion. For the purposes of this introduction, we invite you to share some aspects of your cultural identities with other students. Remember that Collins (2018) defines cultural identities broadly in this course; pay attention to gender, ethnicity, Indigeneity, ability, sexual orientation, age, social class, and religion/spirituality. Feel free to introduce yourself through, or support your introduction with, a web link, a photo, an audio introduction, or other multimedia content that reflects your cultural identities. You may manage your cultural identity sharing to stay within your comfort zone. When class members post their introductions, notice the defining features of culture that have been chosen. Assume a position of cultural curiosity as you interact with your peers and instructor to learn a bit more about the meaning of culture for them.

Please wait until your instructor has posted their introduction to reply with your own cultural introduction.

Please read the introduction to Chapter 3 (Collins, 2018e) and the first major section: Counsellor Self-Exploration as a Foundation for Cultural Sensitivity (Core Competency 1, pp. 51–69). The e-book navigation tips video in this chapter provides important information about how to navigate most easily to different sections of the chapter. Pay particular attention to the three key concepts listed above. You will notice that there are a couple of practice illustrations in this section, written by other people, which introduce their voices and perspectives.

Next complete the activity below, drawn from the CC1 Cultural Sensitivity section of the Collins (2018b) Teaching and Learning Guide.

Exploring the factors influencing personal cultural identities (self-study) The following figure illustrates the cultural dimensions, systemic factors, relationality, personal contextual factors, and *isms that feed into each of our cultural identities. The tendency for many of us is to take these factors for granted and leave them largely unexamined, unless we experience cultural oppression that brings certain variables to the foreground. Even then, however, we may explore our ethnic identity and nationality, but fail to reflect critically on our sexual identity development or the impact of gender. An audio file is provided below for students who may benefit from a verbal description of the diagram. Complete the Personal cultural identities inventory, identifying the factors that you consider important to your personal cultural identity. Pay attention to any influences that you may have taken for granted or ignored previously. Consider the following questions for reflection: What brings our awareness to some elements of cultural identity more readily than to others? How might this tendency toward a lack of cultural awareness in some areas influence how you view the world or how you view your clients? When you consider one or more of your current clients (or individuals you work with in another capacity), how complete or incomplete is your awareness of their personal cultural identities? What influence might this have on your effectiveness in working with these individuals? Note. From Culturally Responsive and Socially Just Counselling: Teaching and Learning Guide, by S. Collins, 2018. (https://crsjguide.pressbooks.com/). Copyright 2018 by Counselling Concepts. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

This learning activity feeds directly into Assignment 2 Cultural Profile. Consider also what you learn from the cultural introductions given by your instructor and peers that might inform your cultural self-exploration over the next few weeks. Notice that an Assignment Schedule is provided at the top of the Course Assignments and Assessment Criteria page to assist you in planning your work for the course.

Throughout this course, there are learning activities that may be enhanced by working together or debriefing with one of your peers. You may also want to have someone with whom to talk through issues or questions that arise through the risk-taking journal. However, we want to create a learning process that works well for all students, so you are not required to work in pairs if you do not want to. For those who want to take advantage of the opportunity to connect in this way, please use the Coffee Room in the Student Resources section in Moodle to find a peer partner. We suggest you use the same partner throughout the course for ease of communication and time management; however, this is also up to you. If there is an uneven number of people wanting to pair up, please form one group of three.

You also have the option of forming groups of 2-3 students to complete Assignment 4 Learning Activity and Discussion Leadership. You do not have to stick with the same partners, as above. Use the Coffee Room to organize yourselves into small groups. You are also most welcome to complete these assignments on your own.

In Weeks 11 and 12, you will work together to complete Assignment 5 Problem-Based Learning. Your instructor will organize you into small groups at that time.

Look ahead now to Assignment 3 Cultural Interview, because you need to plan ahead to identify, approach, and arrange to interview an individual in your local community whom you perceive as holding different cultural identities than you. Review the definitions of cultural awareness and cultural sensitivity in the glossary of the course text as a starting place for thinking about this assignment. Consider with which aspects of potential client cultural identities you may be less familiar or less comfortable. We invite you to lean into this potential gap in your cultural awareness by focusing on one or more of these areas in this assignment. You should select the person you want to interview within the first two weeks of the course.

Review the definition of identity narratives/stories (Ebook Enhanced, Interactive Glossary). Then read the case study provided by Fisher Lavell in Chapter 5 of the course text. You may want to check out the contributor’s page in the book first to get a sense of who Fisher is. I always find it helpful to attach a face to a name when I am reading someone’s story. Pay attention, as you read, to the ways in which Fisher’s personal identity narratives and the identity stories of the clients she encounters are grounded in various dimensions of cultural identity (e.g., social class, gender, ethnicity, Indigeneity, age) as well as their differences and intersections. I am starting you off with a focus on social class, because as she argues, this is one identity domain that is often invisibilized in society and marginalized in counselling practice. Use the learning activity below, created by Fisher Lavell, as an opportunity to engage in deeper personal reflection about your own personal cultural identities and identity narratives.

Deconstructing social class identity (Self-study) Although people develop a personal class identity, it does not evolve in isolation, but rather as a complex, fluid, and dynamic interaction between person and environment. There is a saying that most working class people are one paycheque away from the street, and this may also be true for you. It has become more of a reality for many people, through the economic and international crises in recent years, and has impacted their social class identity. This is also a common experience for newcomers to Canada, who quite often are unable to continue on in the professions in which they trained and worked in their home countries. Consider the social class analysis below, which draws on the following scenario. Eli’s social class identity can be understood drawing on the following model. Elements of Social Class Identity An audio file is provided below for students who may benefit from a verbal description of the diagram. Adapted from “Reconciliation across social class,” by A. Sears, 2015, Retrieved from http://www.urbanministry.org/reconciliation-across-social-class. Copyright 2015 by Creative Commons. Class background refers to your past class background, including family income, housing, parent(s) employment, education, class culture, community status, neighbourhood characteristics. Current class access refers to your current access to various communities, resources and power based on socioeconomic status, education, intersecting cultural identities, and other forms of social capital. Class identification refers to the dominant or nondominant groups that you identify with through family, friends, or community, as well as your internalized class assumptions and biases. Class consciousness reflects your ability to perceive, understand, and consciously address classism, social stratification based on class, systemic barriers and privileges based on class, and so on. Reflect critically on your social class identity and the factors that have influenced your social class position. How might social class differences, whether overtly acknowledged or not, between you and your clients influence the development of trust and rapport? Note. From Culturally Responsive and Socially Just Counselling: Teaching and Learning Guide, by S. Collins, 2018. (https://crsjguide.pressbooks.com/). Copyright 2018 by Counselling Concepts. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

As is the case with all of the contributors’ chapters and practice illustrations throughout this e-book, Fisher introduces other concepts that I will address in later weeks. You may want to build in the practice of returning to the domains and competencies table in Chapter 2, when new concepts emerge, to link to the places where each is exemplified throughout the e-book. Please make active choices about where to invest your energy and follow the threads about which you are curious or less confident.

Your instructor will post a discussion prompt to encourage more in-depth consideration of Fisher’s chapter in light of the key concepts in this lesson. Review the requirements for participation in the class discussions on the Course Assignments and Evaluation Criteria page. Be sure to wait until the instructor posts discussion questions before you respond.

In this first week, you are introduced to some of the foundational principles of the CRSJ counselling model, even though we will look at these in greater depth later in the course. Locate and review the definitions for cultural competency and cultural humility by going directly to the Enhanced, Interactive Glossary. Developing cultural competency is a life-long learning process and an orientation to practice that involves openness to continual self-change. Many of you will have personal and professional experiences to share that will enrich your dialogues with each other. Your course instructor also brings their own particular lens on culturally responsive and socially just practice. Cultural humility is an essential foundation for cultural competency, because it positions us as learners, as knowledge seekers, and as collaborators.

As you head into this course, it is likely helpful for you to have a sense of where you are now in relation to the competencies targeted. In particular, this will help you choose which optional activities to engage in, which paths to pursue through the e-book, and where you want to focus in your course assignments. The table of CRSJ counselling domains and competencies is reproduced below. You will notice that some domains and competencies are in italics; this is because they are not a primary focus of this course. Domain IV will be addressed in GCAP 671, and although Domain V is introduced in this course, it is foregrounded in GCAP 635, along with Core Competency 16.

Consider the remaining competencies (i.e., those not in italics), and set some initial learning goals using the steps below. You can change your mind later; this is just a starting point.

1. Identify the specific competencies for which you may benefit from continuing competency development. We invite you to approach this by first reviewing the overall domains and competencies above to get a broad sense of where you feel more or less confident and competent. Choose 2 or 3 areas to focus on.
2. Refine those broad competencies into specific targets (i.e., attitudes and beliefs, knowledge, or skills) for professional development. Go to the expanded CRSJ framework in Chapter 2 to review the learning outcomes within each of the core competencies you identified in Step 1 to determine which key concepts and outcomes are most relevant to your continuing competency development.