Career Counselling in a Culturally Diverse Setting

By Laura Kerr

Each client possesses skills, abilities and gifts that are unique and have the potential to be developed and linked to attaining their education, employment and career goals. In working with individuals within a career counselling setting, this process utilizes a variety of techniques, approaches and resources. As counsellors, we adapt according to the individual needs of the client we are serving, and often begin this process by “breaking the ice”, identifying commonalities and/or establishing an understanding from one another’s frames of reference. Techniques, approaches and resources are selected according to their appropriateness and to attain specific information and/or data.

When working with members from culturally diverse backgrounds, this process becomes altered as we, as counsellors, work with our client to gain an understanding of where they are coming from, cultural influences, way of life and language. This process may require additional research, education, skill building, information sharing and deepening awareness through experiential learning. It may require that additional time be spent with the client to establish communication and dialogue that embraces the diversity and expands the clients’ understanding and comfort level with the approach and resources used to facilitate their career planning process.

Learning about Cultures through Experiential Learning

Canadore College welcomes over 300 aboriginal students annually. One third of these students are Cree and come from communities along the James Bay Coast. The Aboriginal Learning Unit (ALU) of Canadore College works closely with non-aboriginal counsellors and faculty to support the development of cross-cultural awareness, linkages and relationships between students, education counsellors and communities to provide a comfortable and culturally supportive environment to ensure student success.

This past spring, counsellors and faculty participated in a cross-cultural community-based professional development experience. There were nine participants in total lead by a Cree Counsellor from the ALU and included aboriginal (Ojibway) and non-aboriginal participants. This adventurous group of participants travelled over 3500 km to visit the communities of Chisasibi, Wemindji, Eastmain, and Nemaska.

The trip was intended to provide participants with an opportunity to visit and experience the way of life in the communities where our students live. During the trip participants had an opportunity to experience Cree cultural events, including a visit into a traditional tipi where goose, fish and bannock were cooked over a fire and a traditional walking out ceremony (a rite of passage for children) took place. The group also visited the Robert Bourassa Reservoir and the La Grande 2 Hydro Quebec dam, a project that altered the landscape, Cree lifestyle and the regional economy for residents who refer to life events as happening either before or after the dam was built. The group also met with community leaders, educators and students.

The outcome of these visits resulted in a greater understanding of Northern Cree Culture and provided valuable insight into the counselling, service, academic and social needs of the Cree students we serve.

Having the opportunity to experience another culture is not always possible, but in this situation, proved to be highly successful in helping to increase understanding, awareness and brought the element of experience to help bridge the cultural differences.

Other sources of information:

When experience is not possible, education, information-sharing, skill-building and communication can help us, as counsellors, to better understand ways of life, values, language and cultural differences that we have not experienced before. Participation in cross-cultural training and awareness can help, but choose carefully. Attend culture events whenever you have an opportunity. In opening ourselves to learning about the lives and ways of others we grow personally and professionally and develop an appreciation of multicultural diversity in our career counselling settings. We gain the ability to benefit collectively from the skills, abilities and gifts of others to create a richer and more welcoming environment for everyone that we serve.

Places to visit:

www.naaf.ca/bluep.html
Blueprint For The Future (BFF)

www.ammsa.com/ammsacareers.html
Aboriginal Career and Employment Guide – Aboriginal Multi-Media Society

www.careerplace.com
Career Place

www.ayn.ca
Aboriginal Youth Network Employment Center!

www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/index_e.html
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

http://career-lifeskills.com
Cultural Diversity Issues in Counselling

Laura Kerr is Director of the Aboriginal Learning Unit, Canadore College and was previously the Coordinator, Anishinabek Educational Institute, Union of Ontario Indians. She is a member of Dokis First Nation and has worked in career counseling and education for the past twelve years. As a graduate of the Employment Counsellor Program offered by Fleming College, Laura worked as a career counsellor for Canadore and Cambrian Colleges, the Peel Board, and the Sudbury Board of Education; she continues her involvement with the program as an advisory board member. Laura recently joined the Board of Directors of Contact Point.