This talk will introduce the concept of cultural safety in the context of neuropsychological practice in Canada. Indigenous people in Canada experience profound health inequalities, perpetuated and maintained in part by institutions that prioritize Western ways of knowing. These institutions include the systems in which Canadian neuropsychologists are trained and in which they practice. Unsurprisingly, Indigenous knowledge keepers, elders, scholars, psychologists, and clients have shared how conventional approaches to assessment may be harmful (if not oppressive) to Indigenous people. We will review these criticisms, including discussion of positivistic “brain-behaviour” relationships. We will then present the practice of cultural safety, which extends beyond cultural sensitivity (understanding the role and importance of the culture of the client) and cultural competence (the ability to provide psychological services in ways that are culturally sensitive and relevant to the client) as a possible response. Cultural safety considers the historic context of healthcare in Canada, ongoing systemic racism, and seeks to empower the client in relation to the psychologist. At their core, culturally safe approaches emphasize understanding power imbalances and the context of colonization as factors limiting clinical effectiveness with Indigenous clients. In this presentation, we will invite attendees to consider ways to equalize power between the neuropsychologist and client, and offer suggestions based on study, literature, and experience.
Dr. Reagan Gale
Reagan was born on the traditional territory of the Serpent River First Nation and the Huron Robinson Treaty in Northeastern, Ontario, and is a graduate of the University of Windsor. She has had a practice in neuropsychology since 2012. Reagan has been a member of the council of the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) since 2017, and is currently serving her second term as council president. In addition to her work with CAP, she is the founding (past) President of the Psychological Society of Yukon (PSY) and an observer on the Board of the Canadian Academy Psychologists in Disability Assessment (CAPDA). She is certified in medicolegal expertise through the Canadian Society of Medical Evaluators and as a Designated Capacity Assessor in Ontario. In 2021, she was appointed Public Guardian and Trustee for Yukon Territory, where she lived and worked for a decade before returning to Ontario. Reagan has an active assessment-based private practice seeing clients across Alberta, Ontario, and the three territories.
Dr. David Danto
I am the Dean, Health and Community Studies at MacEwan University and a clinical psychologist. I was the Chair of the Section for Indigenous Psychology for several years. I Chaired the Canadian Psychological Association Task Force on Responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report and the CPA's Standing Committee on Reconciliation. My scholarly and clinical interests focus on health, community, and human rights, with particular emphasis on Indigenous wellness and culture-based approaches to addressing intergenerational trauma in local and global contexts. I am involved in allyship and reconciliation efforts within academic and healthcare contexts. Clinically, I have worked in psychiatric hospitals, counselling centers, private practice, and prisons in Canada and the United States.
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