Title: The Counselling Relationship: Effective and Ineffective Ways Of Working With Aboriginal Clients
Scarfe Library Block, room 278
Examining Committee:
Research supervisor: Dr. Rod McCormick (CNPS)
Committee member: Dr. Norm Amundson (CNPS)
Committee member: Dr. Richard Vedan (Faculty of Social Work)
Abstract:
This study used the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to explore what helps or hinders the building of a positive counselling relationship with Aboriginal clients. Interviews with 10 participants produced 201 critical incidents and wish list items. These incidents and wish list items were placed into 13 helping categories, 9 hindering categories, and 5 wish list categories. The following helping categories had the highest participation rates: Culturally Appropriate Knowledge and Methods, Counsellor Focuses on Client Needs, and Appropriate Self-Disclosure. The following hindering categories had the highest participation rates: Counsellor Not Focused on Client Needs, Ineffective Communication Skills, and Cultural Incongruence/Lack of Cultural Knowledge. The top wish list category based on participation rate was the Counsellor Has Knowledge about Aboriginal Culture. Nine credibility checks were performed to ensure validity of the data. The purpose of this study was to provide Aboriginal clients with a voice within counselling psychology research pertaining to helpful and hindering aspects of relationship building.