Module 5 - Culturally Aware and TIC Learning Theories

Cultural Intentionality

Awareness of the cultural differences that exist between a counsellor and their client.

Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy

Combines Indigenous ways of knowing with focusing oriented therapy.

6 Steps:

• Clearing Space: clients look inwards and examine their current problems

• Felt Sense: clients choose the problem that is causing the most trouble and sense how it feels in their body

• Handle: asks the client to give that felt sense a name, phrase, image

• Resonating: shift back and forth between felt sense and handle

• Asking: client asks themselves what about the problem makes the quality of their experience

• Recieving: client draws awareness to a shif tor elease they may experiences

Psychotherapy

Spirit

• Spirits don’t die - even when you do

• The perpetrator was infected with this energy or spirit

• Need to trace the energy back to who brought it

Dreams

• Start talking about dreams

• Dreams are the “original medicine” and are the Creator speaking to you

Humour

• Essential in therapy

• Laughter opens the spirit door so medicine can enter

• Self-Healing

• Healer is wounded - carries spirits as well

• Essential to work on self-healing and self-awareness

Trauma-Informed Counselling

Recognizing ANY patient seeking healthcare may have a history of trauma

These individuals need a safe environment for care.

Values/Principles

• Safety - emotional and physical

• Trustworthiness - clear expectations and consistent boundaries

• Choice and Collaboration - working with, not doing for

• Empowerment - recognize resiliency and encourage hope

Integration

No single theory or counselling technique is comprehensive enough to account for the complexities of human behaviour.

Draw on various theories, therapies, and techniques.

Behaviourist Learning Theory

Learning is evident in behaviour (directly observable).

Systemic Desensitization

• Desensitization of responses

• Decrease fear and anxiety

Stimulus Generalization

• Generalizing a response in multiple conditions

Operant Conditioning

• To achieve a specific outcome

• Reinforcement pattern

Cognitive Learning Theory

Focuses on the internal needs of the learner.

The key is cognition - perception, thought, memory, and ways of processing and structuring information.

Cognitive Learning Theories:

1. Gestalt

   • The importance of perception in learning

   • Each person perceives, interprets, and responds to learning in their own way

2. Information Processing

   • Attention → We acquire information - sensory stimuli

   • Processing → We process information

   • Memory Storage → We transform and incorporate information

   • Action → How we respond based on what we have learned

3. Cognitive Development

   • Age and state in life affect learning outcomes

   • Learning is a developmental, sequential, and active process

4. Social Learning Theory

   • We learn a lot through role modelling and not direct experiences

5. Social Constructivism

   • Learning occurs through social interaction, collaboration, and negotiation

6. Social Cognition

   • Focus on influence of social factors on perception, thought, and motivation

Psychodynamic Learning Theory

A theory of motivation and how motivation affects learners.

Unconscious and conscious forces drive learner behaviour.

Humanistic Learning Theory

Views every individual as unique, with a desire to learn and grow.

Motivation is derived from individual needs, perspectives, and feelings of self.