Beginning in the late 18th century and continuing through to the mid-20th century, a movement was... more Beginning in the late 18th century and continuing through to the mid-20th century, a movement was undertaken by psychology’s pioneers to establish a mathematical basis for research modeled after the physical sciences. It is argued that this movement arose through sociopolitical pressures to legitimize psychology as an independent discipline; demarcate its disciplinary boundaries within academia; and distinguish psychology from philosophy and spiritualism. It is argued that an ahistorical view of how the quantitative paradigm gained ascendancy leaves it largely unquestioned and unchallenged within mainstream psychology. Because of this, qualitative research has endured a long and continuing struggle to gain disciplinary recognition and epistemological parity. It is proposed that despite being sidelined by decades of quantitative hegemony, qualitative research has a long history in psychology and in the last 40 years has continued to prove itself as a necessary and valuable contributo...
Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health ... more Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health concerns relative to other Canadians, many within this population do not access Western-based mental health services. In this article we extend a socio-political and historical rationale for attending to key cultural differences when working with First Nations clientele. These cultural differences are situated within the three commonly held domains of multicultural competence: self-awareness, knowledge of the other, and therapeutic practice.Bien que les faits démontrent que les membres des Premières nations connaissent un niveau de problèmes de santé mentale hors de proportion par comparaison avec celui des autres Canadiens, plusieurs de leurs membres ne recourent pas à des services de santé mentale de type occidental. Dans le présent article, nous proposons des raisons socio-politiques et historiques pour tenir compte des différences culturelles clés dans le travail avec la clientèle de...
When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both couns... more When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both counselling and the practice of supervision. In many instances, students arrive at their practicums with a limited understanding of supervision and how it ought to be carried out; this deficit, we contend, is to their detriment. The premise of this article is that a successful practicum rests on a successful supervisory experience, which is enhanced when supervisees have a foundational knowledge of supervision theory and practice. To meet this end, this article is written as a direct personal message to students, explaining the basics of supervision models, processes, practices, tensions, and possible solutions to common supervision struggles. Although this article is written for students, we believe that its contents are equally relevant to supervisors.Lorsque les étudiantes et les étudiants universitaires de deuxième cycle entreprennent leurs stages, ils découvrent à la fois le counseling e...
Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going... more Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going to great lengths to prove (either through research or through rhetoric) that their approach was superior to others. This, not surprisingly, led to rancour and division within professional counselling and a form of camp mentality among model adherents. This paper offers an innovative approach to teaching models of counselling that counters such tendencies. The impetus for this approach stems from a robust and growing body of research indicating that counselling models, although often revered among model adherents and assumed to be the sine qua non of effective counselling, now appear to play a smaller role within the therapeutic enterprise. While few (including the present authors) would argue that counselling models are unnecessary, the various lines of research outlined in this paper compel counsellor educators to rethink how counselling models ought to be taught to graduate-level coun...
Ethical decision-making is inherent to the research ethics committee (REC) deliberation process. ... more Ethical decision-making is inherent to the research ethics committee (REC) deliberation process. While ethical codes, regulations, and research standards are indispensable in guiding this process, decision-making is nonetheless susceptible to nonrational factors that can undermined the quality, consistency, and perceived fairness REC decisions. In this paper I identify biases and heuristics (i.e., nonrational factors) that are known to influence the reasoning processes among the general population and various professions alike. I suggest that such factors will inevitably arise within the REC review process. To help mitigate this potential, I propose an interventive questioning process that can be used by RECs to identify and minimize the influence of the nonrational factors most likely to impact REC judgment and decision-making.
In this research, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how counselor... more In this research, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how counselors experience and manage ethical tensions in sex addiction counseling. Four certified sex addiction therapists (CSATs) were selected as participants and interviewed about their experiences. Analysis of interview transcripts produced three superordinate themes: preventative strategies, nuanced emotions during ethical tensions, and resolving tensions. Preventative strategies describe the counselors’ efforts to implement practices that prevented negative experiences with ethical tensions. The theme of nuanced emotions refers to the intricate emotional experience the counselors often had when they encountered ethical tensions. Resolving tensions relates how counselors constructed ethical and personally meaningful decision-making processes to resolve their tensions. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature about sex addiction counseling, including this study’s contributions, imp...
My presentation was well attended and well received. A lively discussion ensued with comments mad... more My presentation was well attended and well received. A lively discussion ensued with comments made regarding the “power” of my participants’ stories. A few conference attendees wiped tears from their eyes; such was the profundity of my presentation. One gentleman suggested I might want to further research the impact of residential schools on personal identity among Aboriginal people. A possible collaboration is currently in the making. Another professor asked if she could parts of my PowerPoint for a class she teaches on multiculturalism. I was happy to oblige. Thank you for providing the funding for this excellent conference. In addition to my very positive presentation, I also attended many other fascinating talks.
... This PowerPoint 2007 template produces a 36x48 professional poster. ... Third-party support... more ... This PowerPoint 2007 template produces a 36x48 professional poster. ... Third-party support/mediation: The supervisor's supervisor; The intern coordinator; The regulatory body. ... flow of disclosure; Disproportionate degree of experience. The supervision contract. Clarify ...
There are many ethical issues arising for practitioners in what are termed the boundaries of prof... more There are many ethical issues arising for practitioners in what are termed the boundaries of professional helping relationships. In this article, the authors argue that the boundary metaphor is not sufficient for conceptualizing these ethical issues and propose that alternative metaphors be considered. The use of a different metaphor might allow practitioners to re-vision the relationship issues in a more realistic, richer, and holistic way. Those explored here include highway, bridge, and territory. For the authors, it is territory that seems to hold the greatest promise.
With the increase in mixed-racial parentage in North America comes increased scholarly activity i... more With the increase in mixed-racial parentage in North America comes increased scholarly activity intended to bring greater understanding to the biracial experience. Such efforts, while undoubtedly informative and helpful, fall short when set aside the actual narrative accounts of a biracial individual’s life experience. In this paper I first explore the typical, negative, portrayal of the biracial experience found within social scientific literature, and then compare this with the narrative accounts of a biracial individual. Through this exercise it is shown that factors such as the specific racial parentage and socio-cultural context can have a positive effect on what usually is viewed as a problematic psychosocial experience.
At the 2013 Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Annual Conference I gave a 45-minute presentat... more At the 2013 Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Annual Conference I gave a 45-minute presentation on the ethics of online counselling. The presentation was based on a recent chapter on this topic written for the revised Canadian Handbook of Counselling Ethics. The presentation was very well received drawing comments such as “thorough”, “leading the pack”, and “applicable to my practice”.
Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2021
Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going... more Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going to great lengths to prove (either through research or through rhetoric) that their approach was superior to others. This, not surprisingly, led to rancour and division within professional counselling and a form of camp mentality among model adherents. This paper offers an innovative approach to teaching models of counselling that counters such tendencies. The impetus for this approach stems from a robust and growing body of research indicating that counselling models, although often revered among model adherents and assumed to be the sine qua non of effective counselling, now appear to play a smaller role within the therapeutic enterprise. While few (including the present authors) would argue that counselling models are unnecessary, the various lines of research outlined in this paper compel counsellor educators to rethink how counselling models ought to be taught to graduate-level coun...
Hypnosis is attempting to come to grips with the EST (Empirically Supported Therapy) revolution i... more Hypnosis is attempting to come to grips with the EST (Empirically Supported Therapy) revolution in mental health practice. However, there are ways to account for outcome outside of simple empirical validation of treatment models. In this light, strategic eclecticism as a broader research-based consideration is used to illustrate empirical principles within Eriksonian hypnotherapeutic approaches.
Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2019
When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both couns... more When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both counselling and the practice of supervision. In many instances, students arrive at their practicums with a limited understanding of supervision and how it ought to be carried out; this deficit, we contend, is to their detriment. The premise of this article is that a successful practicum rests on a successful supervisory experience, which is enhanced when supervisees have a foundational knowledge of supervision theory and practice. To meet this end, this article is written as a direct personal message to students, explaining the basics of supervision models, processes, practices, tensions, and possible solutions to common supervision struggles. Although this article is written for students, we believe that its contents are equally relevant to supervisors.
The author has granted a non exclusive license allowing the Library and Archives Canada to reprod... more The author has granted a non exclusive license allowing the Library and Archives Canada to reproduce, loan, distribute or sell copies of this thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats. The author retains ownership of the copyright in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Canada de reproduire, preter, distribuer ou vendre des copies de cette these sous la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou aturement reproduits sans son autorisation. In compliance with the Canadian Privacy Act some supporting forms may have been removed from this thesis. While these forms may be included in the document page count, their removal does not represent any loss of content from the thesis. Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la protection de la vie privee, quelques formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de cette these. Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Moral distress is the experience that follows when one feels constrained from acting according to... more Moral distress is the experience that follows when one feels constrained from acting according to what one believes to be ethically correct. A body of literature from counseling and other health-related professions indicating the significant impact of morally distressing dynamics on individual and relational well-being is presented, followed by implications for practice and future research.
Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2010
Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health ... more Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health concerns relative to other Canadians, many within this population do not access Western-based mental health services. In this article we extend a socio-political and historical rationale for attending to key cultural differences when working with First Nations clientele. These cultural differences are situated within the three commonly held domains of multicultural competence: self-awareness, knowledge of the other, and therapeutic practice. resume Bien que les faits demontrent que les membres des Premieres nations connaissent un niveau de problemes de sante mentale hors de proportion par comparaison avec celui des autres Canadiens, plusieurs de leurs membres ne recourent pas a des services de sante mentale de type occidental. Dans le present article, nous proposons des raisons sociopolitiques et historiques pour tenir compte des differences culturelles cles dans le travail avec la clien...
Despite the significant number of transracial Aboriginal adoptions that have taken place in Canad... more Despite the significant number of transracial Aboriginal adoptions that have taken place in Canada, little research is available that addresses the psychological and psychosocial ramifications for the children involved. The scant literature that does exist raises concerns about the psychological impact of this type of adoption. The present research used narrative inquiry to bring greater understanding to the experiences of Aboriginal children raised in nonAboriginal families. The life stories of four Aboriginal adults who were adopted as children were gathered through audio-taped interviews. Seven “narrative threads” salient across the four participants’ life stories include: disconnection, passing, diversion, connection, surpassing, reconnection, and identity coherence. Keywords: Transracial Adoption, Narrative Inquiry, Aboriginal and nonAboriginal Families
Beginning in the late 18th century and continuing through to the mid-20th century, a movement was... more Beginning in the late 18th century and continuing through to the mid-20th century, a movement was undertaken by psychology’s pioneers to establish a mathematical basis for research modeled after the physical sciences. It is argued that this movement arose through sociopolitical pressures to legitimize psychology as an independent discipline; demarcate its disciplinary boundaries within academia; and distinguish psychology from philosophy and spiritualism. It is argued that an ahistorical view of how the quantitative paradigm gained ascendancy leaves it largely unquestioned and unchallenged within mainstream psychology. Because of this, qualitative research has endured a long and continuing struggle to gain disciplinary recognition and epistemological parity. It is proposed that despite being sidelined by decades of quantitative hegemony, qualitative research has a long history in psychology and in the last 40 years has continued to prove itself as a necessary and valuable contributo...
Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health ... more Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health concerns relative to other Canadians, many within this population do not access Western-based mental health services. In this article we extend a socio-political and historical rationale for attending to key cultural differences when working with First Nations clientele. These cultural differences are situated within the three commonly held domains of multicultural competence: self-awareness, knowledge of the other, and therapeutic practice.Bien que les faits démontrent que les membres des Premières nations connaissent un niveau de problèmes de santé mentale hors de proportion par comparaison avec celui des autres Canadiens, plusieurs de leurs membres ne recourent pas à des services de santé mentale de type occidental. Dans le présent article, nous proposons des raisons socio-politiques et historiques pour tenir compte des différences culturelles clés dans le travail avec la clientèle de...
When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both couns... more When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both counselling and the practice of supervision. In many instances, students arrive at their practicums with a limited understanding of supervision and how it ought to be carried out; this deficit, we contend, is to their detriment. The premise of this article is that a successful practicum rests on a successful supervisory experience, which is enhanced when supervisees have a foundational knowledge of supervision theory and practice. To meet this end, this article is written as a direct personal message to students, explaining the basics of supervision models, processes, practices, tensions, and possible solutions to common supervision struggles. Although this article is written for students, we believe that its contents are equally relevant to supervisors.Lorsque les étudiantes et les étudiants universitaires de deuxième cycle entreprennent leurs stages, ils découvrent à la fois le counseling e...
Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going... more Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going to great lengths to prove (either through research or through rhetoric) that their approach was superior to others. This, not surprisingly, led to rancour and division within professional counselling and a form of camp mentality among model adherents. This paper offers an innovative approach to teaching models of counselling that counters such tendencies. The impetus for this approach stems from a robust and growing body of research indicating that counselling models, although often revered among model adherents and assumed to be the sine qua non of effective counselling, now appear to play a smaller role within the therapeutic enterprise. While few (including the present authors) would argue that counselling models are unnecessary, the various lines of research outlined in this paper compel counsellor educators to rethink how counselling models ought to be taught to graduate-level coun...
Ethical decision-making is inherent to the research ethics committee (REC) deliberation process. ... more Ethical decision-making is inherent to the research ethics committee (REC) deliberation process. While ethical codes, regulations, and research standards are indispensable in guiding this process, decision-making is nonetheless susceptible to nonrational factors that can undermined the quality, consistency, and perceived fairness REC decisions. In this paper I identify biases and heuristics (i.e., nonrational factors) that are known to influence the reasoning processes among the general population and various professions alike. I suggest that such factors will inevitably arise within the REC review process. To help mitigate this potential, I propose an interventive questioning process that can be used by RECs to identify and minimize the influence of the nonrational factors most likely to impact REC judgment and decision-making.
In this research, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how counselor... more In this research, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how counselors experience and manage ethical tensions in sex addiction counseling. Four certified sex addiction therapists (CSATs) were selected as participants and interviewed about their experiences. Analysis of interview transcripts produced three superordinate themes: preventative strategies, nuanced emotions during ethical tensions, and resolving tensions. Preventative strategies describe the counselors’ efforts to implement practices that prevented negative experiences with ethical tensions. The theme of nuanced emotions refers to the intricate emotional experience the counselors often had when they encountered ethical tensions. Resolving tensions relates how counselors constructed ethical and personally meaningful decision-making processes to resolve their tensions. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature about sex addiction counseling, including this study’s contributions, imp...
My presentation was well attended and well received. A lively discussion ensued with comments mad... more My presentation was well attended and well received. A lively discussion ensued with comments made regarding the “power” of my participants’ stories. A few conference attendees wiped tears from their eyes; such was the profundity of my presentation. One gentleman suggested I might want to further research the impact of residential schools on personal identity among Aboriginal people. A possible collaboration is currently in the making. Another professor asked if she could parts of my PowerPoint for a class she teaches on multiculturalism. I was happy to oblige. Thank you for providing the funding for this excellent conference. In addition to my very positive presentation, I also attended many other fascinating talks.
... This PowerPoint 2007 template produces a 36x48 professional poster. ... Third-party support... more ... This PowerPoint 2007 template produces a 36x48 professional poster. ... Third-party support/mediation: The supervisor's supervisor; The intern coordinator; The regulatory body. ... flow of disclosure; Disproportionate degree of experience. The supervision contract. Clarify ...
There are many ethical issues arising for practitioners in what are termed the boundaries of prof... more There are many ethical issues arising for practitioners in what are termed the boundaries of professional helping relationships. In this article, the authors argue that the boundary metaphor is not sufficient for conceptualizing these ethical issues and propose that alternative metaphors be considered. The use of a different metaphor might allow practitioners to re-vision the relationship issues in a more realistic, richer, and holistic way. Those explored here include highway, bridge, and territory. For the authors, it is territory that seems to hold the greatest promise.
With the increase in mixed-racial parentage in North America comes increased scholarly activity i... more With the increase in mixed-racial parentage in North America comes increased scholarly activity intended to bring greater understanding to the biracial experience. Such efforts, while undoubtedly informative and helpful, fall short when set aside the actual narrative accounts of a biracial individual’s life experience. In this paper I first explore the typical, negative, portrayal of the biracial experience found within social scientific literature, and then compare this with the narrative accounts of a biracial individual. Through this exercise it is shown that factors such as the specific racial parentage and socio-cultural context can have a positive effect on what usually is viewed as a problematic psychosocial experience.
At the 2013 Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Annual Conference I gave a 45-minute presentat... more At the 2013 Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Annual Conference I gave a 45-minute presentation on the ethics of online counselling. The presentation was based on a recent chapter on this topic written for the revised Canadian Handbook of Counselling Ethics. The presentation was very well received drawing comments such as “thorough”, “leading the pack”, and “applicable to my practice”.
Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2021
Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going... more Historically, professional counselling has been mired by “theory wars” involving proponents going to great lengths to prove (either through research or through rhetoric) that their approach was superior to others. This, not surprisingly, led to rancour and division within professional counselling and a form of camp mentality among model adherents. This paper offers an innovative approach to teaching models of counselling that counters such tendencies. The impetus for this approach stems from a robust and growing body of research indicating that counselling models, although often revered among model adherents and assumed to be the sine qua non of effective counselling, now appear to play a smaller role within the therapeutic enterprise. While few (including the present authors) would argue that counselling models are unnecessary, the various lines of research outlined in this paper compel counsellor educators to rethink how counselling models ought to be taught to graduate-level coun...
Hypnosis is attempting to come to grips with the EST (Empirically Supported Therapy) revolution i... more Hypnosis is attempting to come to grips with the EST (Empirically Supported Therapy) revolution in mental health practice. However, there are ways to account for outcome outside of simple empirical validation of treatment models. In this light, strategic eclecticism as a broader research-based consideration is used to illustrate empirical principles within Eriksonian hypnotherapeutic approaches.
Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2019
When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both couns... more When graduate-level counselling students begin their practicums, they are often new to both counselling and the practice of supervision. In many instances, students arrive at their practicums with a limited understanding of supervision and how it ought to be carried out; this deficit, we contend, is to their detriment. The premise of this article is that a successful practicum rests on a successful supervisory experience, which is enhanced when supervisees have a foundational knowledge of supervision theory and practice. To meet this end, this article is written as a direct personal message to students, explaining the basics of supervision models, processes, practices, tensions, and possible solutions to common supervision struggles. Although this article is written for students, we believe that its contents are equally relevant to supervisors.
The author has granted a non exclusive license allowing the Library and Archives Canada to reprod... more The author has granted a non exclusive license allowing the Library and Archives Canada to reproduce, loan, distribute or sell copies of this thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats. The author retains ownership of the copyright in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Canada de reproduire, preter, distribuer ou vendre des copies de cette these sous la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou aturement reproduits sans son autorisation. In compliance with the Canadian Privacy Act some supporting forms may have been removed from this thesis. While these forms may be included in the document page count, their removal does not represent any loss of content from the thesis. Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la protection de la vie privee, quelques formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de cette these. Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Moral distress is the experience that follows when one feels constrained from acting according to... more Moral distress is the experience that follows when one feels constrained from acting according to what one believes to be ethically correct. A body of literature from counseling and other health-related professions indicating the significant impact of morally distressing dynamics on individual and relational well-being is presented, followed by implications for practice and future research.
Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2010
Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health ... more Despite evidence that First Nations people experience a disproportionate degree of mental health concerns relative to other Canadians, many within this population do not access Western-based mental health services. In this article we extend a socio-political and historical rationale for attending to key cultural differences when working with First Nations clientele. These cultural differences are situated within the three commonly held domains of multicultural competence: self-awareness, knowledge of the other, and therapeutic practice. resume Bien que les faits demontrent que les membres des Premieres nations connaissent un niveau de problemes de sante mentale hors de proportion par comparaison avec celui des autres Canadiens, plusieurs de leurs membres ne recourent pas a des services de sante mentale de type occidental. Dans le present article, nous proposons des raisons sociopolitiques et historiques pour tenir compte des differences culturelles cles dans le travail avec la clien...
Despite the significant number of transracial Aboriginal adoptions that have taken place in Canad... more Despite the significant number of transracial Aboriginal adoptions that have taken place in Canada, little research is available that addresses the psychological and psychosocial ramifications for the children involved. The scant literature that does exist raises concerns about the psychological impact of this type of adoption. The present research used narrative inquiry to bring greater understanding to the experiences of Aboriginal children raised in nonAboriginal families. The life stories of four Aboriginal adults who were adopted as children were gathered through audio-taped interviews. Seven “narrative threads” salient across the four participants’ life stories include: disconnection, passing, diversion, connection, surpassing, reconnection, and identity coherence. Keywords: Transracial Adoption, Narrative Inquiry, Aboriginal and nonAboriginal Families
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