Incorporating Spirituality into Post-Secondary Institutions’ Policies and Services as it Relates to International Students

Some international students arrive in Canada with the assumption that academic institutions will treat them equally in comparison to domestic students. However, equal access to opportunities is not always the case. Unregulated annual tuition fees, immigration policies and a lack of culturally responsive services create challenges for international students that are not shared by domestic students (Chen, 2008; Mayuzumi et al., 2007; Montison, 2018). Canadian post-secondary institutions lack culturally responsive spiritual services that may support international students with their acculturation issues. Child and youth care practitioners may encourage the use of culturally responsive interventions which incorporate spirituality when providing support to international students in their acculturation to Canadian life. Keywords: spirituality, attachment theory, attachment figure, religion, faith, international students, Child and Youth Care Practitioners, post-secondary institutions, Canada, Canadian Government.

Incorporating Spirituality into Post-Secondary Institutions’ Policies and Services as it Relates to International Students

Some international students arrive in Canada with the assumption that academic institutions will treat them equally in comparison to domestic students. However, equal access to opportunities is not always the case. Unregulated annual tuition fees, immigration policies and a lack of culturally responsive services create challenges for international students that are not shared by domestic students (Chen, 2008; Mayuzumi et al., 2007; Montison, 2018). Canadian post-secondary institutions lack culturally responsive spiritual services that may support international students with their acculturation issues. Child and youth care practitioners may encourage the use of culturally responsive interventions which incorporate spirituality when providing support to international students in their acculturation to Canadian life. Keywords: spirituality, attachment theory, attachment figure, religion, faith, international students, Child and Youth Care Practitioners, post-secondary institutions, Canada, Canadian Government.

Let's Get Real

This chapter presents suggestions for counselor educators on how to prepare White counseling masters students to work with future students and clients of color using culturally responsive interventions and strategies. The chapter will also discuss color-blind ideology that is currently being used within graduate counseling programs and within higher education, in general, as a strategy to address racial phenomena. Lastly, the chapter will highlight the experiences of two Black female faculty who have taught counseling and advising courses at a predominantly White Midwestern university to White graduate students who have had very little interaction with people of color. Specifically, the two faculty members' experiences will be used to outline effective ways to 1) explore emotional triggers related to difference among students; 2) promote self-reflection and cultural awareness among students; and 3) discuss topics such as institutional discrimination, systemic racism, privilege, implicit bias, and microaggressions with majority White graduate counseling students.

The Experience of Cancer as an Immigrant

Immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers make up approximately 13.6% of the U.S. population (44.4 million people). They have experienced diverse healthcare systems in their sending countries, with varied cancer care options and attitudes toward cancer (e.g., stigmatization). Immigration status and other socioeconomic factors have a deterministic influence on immigrants’ cancer experience, impacting access to treatment and psychosocial resources, and compel the development of linguistically and culturally responsive interventions. Several interventions and programs have been developed to address the socioeconomic and psychosocial factors contributing to cancer health disparities among immigrants. Healthcare access must be greatly improved, and culturally and linguistically responsive evidence-based interventions must be broadly implemented to improve the immigrant experience of cancer.

Let's Get Real

This chapter presents suggestions for counselor educators on how to prepare White counseling masters students to work with future students and clients of color using culturally responsive interventions and strategies. The chapter will also discuss color-blind ideology that is currently being used within graduate counseling programs and within higher education, in general, as a strategy to address racial phenomena. Lastly, the chapter will highlight the experiences of two Black female faculty who have taught counseling and advising courses at a predominantly White Midwestern university to White graduate students who have had very little interaction with people of color. Specifically, the two faculty members' experiences will be used to outline effective ways to 1) explore emotional triggers related to difference among students; 2) promote self-reflection and cultural awareness among students; and 3) discuss topics such as institutional discrimination, systemic racism, privilege, implicit bias, and microaggressions with majority White graduate counseling students.

Older Adult Refugees’ Roles in Creating Partnerships for Culturally Responsive Healthcare

The aim of this presentation is to reveal the importance of engaging older refugee community members in creating partnerships with local healthcare providers to implement culturally responsive interventions. Such engagement invites older refugees’ participation and encourages continued connection to country of origin beliefs and culture, particularly within the sphere of healthcare and medical family therapy. Cambodian and Laotian refugee families in coastal Alabama were interviewed via qualitative community-based participatory research and ethnographic, in-depth interviews focused on familial and communal processes. Local healthcare providers engaged in focus group discussions regarding cultural processes associated with health beliefs and behaviors and in periodic outreach through culturally responsive health fairs. We found that older adults play important roles in refugee populations as community leaders, problem-solvers, and legacy-carriers upholding traditional values and cultural continuity. They also maintain and promote continuity by employing traditional, complementary, or alternative medicine (TCAM). Recursive processes also emerged as older individuals sought care from younger community members in times of sickness, including having younger generations provide language translation and transportation to local healthcare centers and hospitals and in navigating the United States healthcare system. In addition, community members joined with local healthcare providers to aide in health and healthcare literacy among refugees and to educate local physicians on culturally responsive interventions. Implications include the inclusion of older adults in health decisions and the promotion and maintenance of community partnerships with health agencies that both encourage TCAM utilization and also allow for access to ongoing, appropriate treatment within the US healthcare system.

Let's Get Real

This chapter presents suggestions for counselor educators on how to prepare White counseling masters students to work with future students and clients of color using culturally responsive interventions and strategies. The chapter will also discuss color-blind ideology that is currently being used within graduate counseling programs and within higher education, in general, as a strategy to address racial phenomena. Lastly, the chapter will highlight the experiences of two Black female faculty who have taught counseling and advising courses at a predominantly White Midwestern university to White graduate students who have had very little interaction with people of color. Specifically, the two faculty members' experiences will be used to outline effective ways to 1) explore emotional triggers related to difference among students; 2) promote self-reflection and cultural awareness among students; and 3) discuss topics such as institutional discrimination, systemic racism, privilege, implicit bias, and microaggressions with majority White graduate counseling students.

Multicultural-Social Justice Leadership Strategies: Counseling and Advocacy with Immigrants

Immigration in the United States has been steadily increasing. Accompanying the largest influx of migrants into the U.S. during the past 20 years have been stereotypes and myths about immigrant populations. Growing concern about the shifting demographics has resulted in political debates on immigration, discrimination, hate crimes, and escalating controversy about undocumented people, all of which has caused strong proponents for and strong opponents against stringent migrant policies and legislation. Changing demographics, policies, and falsehoods about migrants have led to increased mental health concerns within the migrant groups that require counselors and psychologists to understand and effectively work with the unique needs of migrants in culturally responsive ways. This article dispels some of the myths about immigrants and provides examples of culturally responsive interventions specifically targeting the distinctive experiences of migrant populations. Recommendations on advocacy activities and strategies for this group are also provided.