Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy from the Client Perspective
Date
2023-11-29
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
While Indigenous people account for only 5% of the general population of Canada, they are greatly overrepresented in our social service systems. Within children services, 69% of children are Indigenous (Children Services, 2020). In 2020, out of all incarcerated women, 50% were Indigenous (Government of Canada [GOC], 2022, June 30). The rate of suicide in Indigenous youth is 5-11 times higher than non-Indigenous youth (Canadian Federation of Medical Students, 2017), and Indigenous folks are six times more likely than non-Indigenous people to be victims of homicide (Statistics Canada, 2022, July 19). There is a clear need for change in these systems. Counselling psychology is dominated by Euro Western approaches that are not accessed by Indigenous people for a number of reasons including that these approaches have also been found, in many cases, to be ineffective within the Indigenous population. Psychology’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (CPA & PFC, 2018) encourages psychologists to familiarize themselves with Indigenous approaches to therapy to better serve this population. One therapeutic approach, named specifically in this response, is Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT). As there is an almost non-existent research base for psychologists to become familiar with IFOT, the aim of this research is to fill this gap in the literature. The current research focused specifically on the client perspective of IFOT. The question was: How do clients experience Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy? Utilizing an Indigenous research paradigm, this question was explored through an Indigenous Storywork (ISW) methodology. Storytellers were IFOT practitioners who had experience as clients through their training. Storytellers shared their experience of IFOT from the client perspective. The researcher made meaning of the stories gathered and through this process, themes emerged. An overarching theme of IFOT is Effective surrounded the themes: IFOT as ceremony, a decolonized approach, IFOT Felt Sense, Medicines, Land, and All My Relations. These themes are understood in an interconnected, non-linear framework wherein they are all related and influence each other. This framework offers a preliminary understanding of the benefits of IFOT as well as recommendations for clinicians aiming toward culturally safe and relevant practice with Indigenous peoples.
Description
Keywords
Indigenous Research Methods, Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy, Storywork Methodology, Indigenous Therapeutic Approaches
Citation
Lupton, M. E. (2023). Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy from the client perspective (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.