Publications

This paper presents a discourse analysis of how social work values, knowledge, and attitudes toward immigrants are represented in 173 open-ended responses to a national survey (n = 1125) of Canadian social workers attitudes toward immigrants. Through discourse analysis of social workers’ commentary, we discuss notable tensions between social workers’ affinity for multicultural inclusion and their critiques of Canadian settler-colonialism. While respondents broadly emphasize “respect for diversity” and the need to advocate for immigrants as expressions of their Canadian and social work identity, some suggest that inequalities facing Indigenous communities should be addressed before Canada continues to increase its investment in immigration. We consider how dichotomizing concerns for Indigenous and immigrant communities reflect the limits of multicultural inclusion and the need to further decolonize social work education and practice.

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The added focus on health equity and multiculturalism discourses in applied psychology and scholarship has sparked new interest in exploring how traditional healing systems could improve the well-being of culturally diverse groups through culturally integrated healing systems. While emerging developments add credibility to longstanding practices, it is essential to recognize elements of cultural hegemony and Anti-Black racism that influence Western value systems and validation hierarchies.

Acknowledging the tumultuous relationship shared by Africa and the West, this research used a postcolonial framework to explore how Canada’s African community might respond to efforts to culturally integrate African healing traditions (AHT) and Western psychotherapeutic systems. Semi-structured interviews with 10 participants were analyzed using a critical approach informed by constructivist grounded theory methodology. While most participants viewed the therapeutic integration efforts as beneficial to the African community, the results showed that several underlying internal and external resistance factors could impact how the community receives and engages with the intervention.

Drawing attention to the realities faced by Canada’s African community, the findings begin to address some of the compounding factors impeding mental health access and equity advancements for the African community in Canada. This research also adds to discourses relevant to multiculturalism, critical theory, decoloniality and social justice in applied psychology and other related disciplines.

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In this article we explore integrating diversity, equity, inclusivity (DEI), intersectionality, and cultural humility into psychotherapy, guided by the ethical principle of nonmaleficence—the commitment to do no harm. We critique the limitations of traditional Eurocentric psychotherapy and advocate for DEI principles to better address the diverse realities of clients from varied cultural backgrounds. We propose actionable recommendations for psychotherapists to adopt a holistic, inclusive approach, emphasizing valuing each client’s unique experiences. This approach is aimed at ensuring that psychotherapy practice is effective, socially just, culturally responsive, and ethically sound, aligning with the Galveston Declaration’s values of pluralism, flux, opening space, and responsibility for continued growth in therapeutic practice.

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Abstract

Discussions in this chapter focused on the concepts of race and multiculturalism in mental health. The central tenants of critical race theory were also explored, serving as an essential framework for critiques related to Western mental health care and race and culture. 

Through this lens, the tensions, contradictions and challenges that mental health discourses face as it navigates through the complexities and confusions of multiculturalism, diversity and the intersectionality of the multiple and multi-coloured matrices of the socio-cultural identities were explored.

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Abstract
Scratch card games are incredibly popular in the Canadian marketplace. However, only recently have researchers started to systematically analyze their structural characteristics and how these in turn affect the gambler. We present two studies designed to further understand the underlying physiological and psychological effects that scratch cards have on gamblers. 

We had gamblers (63 in Experiment 1, 68 in Experiment 2) play custom made scratch cards involving a small win, a regular loss and a near-miss—where they uncovered two out of the three symbols needed to win the top prize. Our predictions were that despite near-misses and losses being objectively equivalent (the gambler wins nothing) gamblers’ reactions to these outcomes would differ dramatically. During game play, skin conductance levels and heart rate were recorded, as well as how long gamblers paused between each game. Gamblers’ subjective reactions to the different outcomes were then assessed. 

In both studies, near-misses triggered higher levels of physiological arousal (skin conductance levels and heart rates) than losses. Gamblers paused significantly longer following small wins than other outcomes, and reported high arousal, positive affect and urge to gamble—a constellation of results consistent with their rewarding properties. Importantly near-miss outcomes were rated as highly arousing, negative in emotional tone, and the most frustrating of all three outcome types examined. 

In Experiment 2, when we measured subjective urge to gamble immediately after each outcome, urge to gamble was significantly higher following near-misses than regular losses. Thus, despite not rewarding the gambler with any monetary gain, these outcomes nevertheless triggered higher arousal and larger urges to gamble than regular losses, a finding that may explain in part, the allure of scratch cards as a gambling activity.

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