10th Critical Multicultural & Diversity Counselling & Psychotherapy Conference

About the Conference

Registration is now closed for the conference.

The 10^th Critical Multicultural & Diversity Counselling & Psychotherapy Conference (June 20–23, 2023) aims to advance EDI (equity, diversity, inclusion) and social justice in counselling and psychotherapy in locally, nationally, and globally. The conference will provide an in-person platform for OISE faculty and students, and indeed Canadian and international scholars, students, and practitioners to share their research on cutting-edge issues related to critical multicultural and diversity issues in psychology, counselling, and psychotherapy.

The conference is hosting presentations from across several faculty at OISE (e.g., APHD, SJE), and from across the university (e.g., social work, theology), and from universities across Canada and the U.S., as well as from other countries, including India and the United Kingdom. Knowledge is mobilized in different ways, including through keynote presentations, experiential workshops, and poster sessions hosted throughout the 4-day conference. In particular, the keynote panel presentations foster connections between diverse scholars with similar research interests, each panel features discussion between the panelists about a timely and innovative multicultural and diversity topic, synthesizing knowledge across social scientific disciplines. Audience members will have the opportunity to participate in post-panel experiential seminars to engage with theory and research in more practical ways.

Sponsored by the Department of Applied Psychology & Human Development, OISE.

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Download Keynote Speaker details

Event Location

Ground Floor, OISE Library
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University of Toronto
252 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5S 1V6

Getting to OISE

Subway
St. George subway station, Bedford Rd. exit.

Parking
Green P Parking is available underground, with access from Prince Arthur Ave.

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Conference Program

The Conference Program is still being finalized.

Tuesday, June 20 2023

Time	Programme
2:00 - 2:45 Library	Registration (coffee)
2:45 - 3:00 Library	Opening Ceremony Verne Ross (Cote First Nation; Assistant Professor at University of Toronto)
3:00 - 3:30 Library	Introduction: Roy Moodley & Jenny Hui Welcome: Erica Walker (OISE, Dean); Earl Woodruff (Department Chair APHD)
3:30 - 5:00 Library	Critical Social Justice in Psychology: Are we truly decolonizing the discipline? Anusha Kassan Respondents: Deone Curling & Naseem Rine-Reesha Chair: Lana Stermac
5:00 – 5:45	Keynote Address: Edwin J. Nichols (Founder of Association of Black Psychologists) Cross-Cultural Psychology: Past, Present, Future Chair: Roy Moodley
6:00 – 7:30 Nexus Lounge 12^th floor	Reception Award Presentations to Alvin Curling & Lana Stermac

Wednesday, June 21 2023

Time	Programme
8:30 - 9:00	Registration (coffee)
9:00 - 9:15 Library	Welcome: Becky Chen Introductions: Roy Moodley & Jenny Hui
9:15 - 10:00 Library	Decolonizing Mental Health Practices: Insights from Indigenous and Black/African Communities Suzanne Stewart, Njoki Wane, Sophie Yohani Chair: Becky Chen
10:00 - 10:45 Library	Decolonizing Eurocentric Psychology & Resisting Pathology Rob Bedi, Kaori Wada, Roy Moodley Chair: Alex Pieterse
10:45 - 11:00	Break
11:00 - 12:00	Seminar (group 1) Suzanne Stewart, Sophie Yohani Note: Seminars are indicated throughout the program. In each seminar, keynote speakers will break off and host small-group discussions or workshops that focus more on engaging the audience in experiential ways (e.g., putting theoretical ideas into practice). Library	Seminar (group 2) Kaori Wada, Roy Moodley Room: 9-105	Seminar (group 3) Njoki Wane, Rob Bedi Room: 12-199
12:00 - 12:45	Break and Poster Session Rawan Hedefa; Jessica Ilton; Kimberly D’Silva; Clara McNamee; Michelle Zak & Farah Charania
12:45 - 2:00	Honouring the Life and Legacy of Clemmont Vontress Andre Marseille, Bryan Ellis, Carla Grey Chair: Roy Moodley Library	Bereavement and Suicide: Multicultural Research and Interventions Olga Oulanova, Kai Forcey-Rodriguez, Shannen Rowe Chair: Roy Gillis Room 12-199
2:00 - 3:15	Resilience Among People of African Descent Across the Diaspora: Intervention and Considerations for Multicultural Counselling Professionals Sandra Dixon, Stephen Okoli, Natacha Pennycooke, Edna Aryee Chair: Deone Curling Library	DisAppearances of DisAbled Selfhood Tanya Titchkosky, Elaine Cagulada, Madeleine DeWelles, Efrat Gold Chair: Sophie Yohani Room 12-199
3:15 - 3:30	Break
3:30 - 5:00	Trauma-Informed Care in Clinical Practice Keisha Greene, Ellen Gutowski, Linda Iwenofu Chair: Olga Oulanova 4:30 – 5:00 Seminar (one to two groups) Library	Mental Health at Intersections of Culture, Gender, and Sexuality Bhisham Kinha, Jenny Hui, Roy Gillis Chair: Rob Bedi 4:30 – 5:00 Seminar (one to two groups) Room 12-199

Thursday, June 22 2023

Time	Programme
9:00 - 10:00 Parallel Papers	Collectively Dreaming Toward Indigenized School, Clinical, and Counselling Psychology Education and Training Stephanie Day An Invitation to the Infinity Room: Exploring Intersubjectivity, Identity, and the Right to Humanity within the Therapy Space Amira Dirie Liberation Psychology and Social Change: An Introduction to Ignacio Martín-Baró Aliakbar Abbasi Garmroudi Chair: Deone Curling Library	Racial Trauma, Spirit Injury and the Deskilling of Foreign Educated Racialized Immigrant Women (FERIW) in Canada Lisa Chinchamie Beyond Resilience: An intersectional analysis of posttraumatic growth in the lives of immigrant, refugee and non-status people living with HIV/AIDS Mercedes Umana Garcia Romantic Relationship Satisfaction in Second-Generation South Asian Immigrants: Investigating the Role of Acculturative Stress and Attachment Gia (Gaayathri) Geetha Chair: David Paul Smith Room: 9-105	Relaxation of Birth Control Policy and Its Impact on Postpartum Well-being in China Esther Fu A Narrative Investigation of Asexual Identity Development and Well-Being Alvi Dandal Shades among Shades: A Critical Poetics of Effeminacy James Yuan Chair: J. Roy Gillis Room: 9-297	Let’s Get Curious Together: Fostering Autistic Mental Health and Well-Being Interactive Experiential Workshop Kai Forcey-Rodriguez Room: 12-199
10:00 - 10:15	Break
10:15 - 11:30 Library	Cultural Competence in Counselling a Multi-Ethnic, Pluralistic, and Linguistically Diverse Population Keynote: Interactive Experiential Workshop Edwin J. Nichols (Elder, Association of Black Psychologists) Chair: Anusha Kassan
11:30 - 12:30 Library	Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony (Dr. Edwin J. Nichols) Interviewing Dr. Edwin Nichols Chair: Anusha Kassan
12:30 - 1:00 Library	Break and Poster Session Nima Karimi; Sarah Colton; Emily Mastragostino; Jan Wozniak; Saira Khan, Tamana Sultani, Shazzaneiy Mohamed Nalir
1:00 - 2:15	Telling the Story of the Self: Wisdom, and Blindness as Culture Rod Michalko, Michel Ferrari Chair: Carla Grey Library	Cultural Humility and Competency in Psychotherapy Deone Curling, Olga Oulanova, Marta Milani Chair: David Paul Smith Room: 9-105	Culturally Competent Moments in Psychotherapy: An Experiential Workshop Kenneth Fung, Ted Lo Chair: Ellie Gutowski Room: 12-199
2:15 - 2:30	Break
2:30 - 3:45	Beyond Interracial and International: Celebrating Interracial Relationships and Families in Canada and the United States Shivon Raghunandan, Marguerite Lengyell, Byron Miller Chair: Roy Moodley Library	The Impact of COVID-19 on African/Black People's Mental Health Roberta Timothy Race, Animality and Violence in Fanon and Coetzee Jonathan Russell Chair: Andre Marseille Room: 9-105
3:45 - 4:00	Break
4:00 - 5:00 Parallel Papers	Privileging Clients’ Phenomenological & Subjective Experience of Identity Asher Faerstein Healing Beyond Description – Undoing Fragmentation in Multicultural Counselling & Psychotherapy Martín Luciani-Noli Cultural & Spiritual Meanings of a Harmony-Seeking Self: Implications for Counselling People of Indigenous and Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds Shaima Ahammed Thayyilayil Chair: Olga Oulanova Library	Creating Circles of Belonging Interactive Experiential Workshop Shauna Moore Room: 9-105	Self-Care Practices & Motives in Practicing Therapists Shasha Oosthuizen The Rashomon Effect and Social Identity in the Clinic Naseem Rine-Reesha, Sara Azarshahi, Hayley Mangotich Chair: Ellie Gutowski Room: 9-297	Beyond Black Lives Matter: Exploring Cultural Responsivity with Adolescent Sexual Offending Interactive Experiential Workshop Elizabeth Evans & Lisa Bertin- Fabian Room: 12-199

Time

Programme

9:00 - 10:00

Parallel Papers

Collectively Dreaming Toward Indigenized School, Clinical, and Counselling Psychology Education and Training
Stephanie Day

An Invitation to the Infinity Room: Exploring Intersubjectivity, Identity, and the Right to Humanity within the Therapy Space
Amira Dirie

Liberation Psychology and Social Change: An Introduction to Ignacio Martín-Baró
Aliakbar Abbasi Garmroudi

Chair: Deone Curling
Library

Racial Trauma, Spirit Injury and the Deskilling of Foreign Educated Racialized Immigrant Women (FERIW) in Canada
Lisa Chinchamie

Beyond Resilience: An intersectional analysis of posttraumatic growth in the lives of immigrant, refugee and non-status people living with HIV/AIDS
Mercedes Umana Garcia

Romantic Relationship Satisfaction in Second-Generation South Asian Immigrants: Investigating the Role of Acculturative Stress and Attachment
Gia (Gaayathri) Geetha

Chair: David Paul Smith
Room: 9-105

Relaxation of Birth Control Policy and Its Impact on Postpartum Well-being in China
Esther Fu

A Narrative Investigation of Asexual Identity Development and Well-Being
Alvi Dandal

Shades among Shades: A Critical Poetics of Effeminacy
James Yuan

Chair: J. Roy Gillis
Room: 9-297

Let’s Get Curious Together: Fostering Autistic Mental Health and Well-Being

Interactive Experiential Workshop

Kai Forcey-Rodriguez
Room: 12-199

10:00 - 10:15

Break

10:15 - 11:30
Library

Cultural Competence in Counselling a Multi-Ethnic, Pluralistic, and Linguistically Diverse Population
Keynote: Interactive Experiential Workshop
Edwin J. Nichols (Elder, Association of Black Psychologists)

Chair: Anusha Kassan

11:30 - 12:30
Library

Lifetime Achievement Award Ceremony (Dr. Edwin J. Nichols)

Interviewing Dr. Edwin Nichols

Chair: Anusha Kassan

12:30 - 1:00 Library

Break and Poster Session
Nima Karimi; Sarah Colton; Emily Mastragostino; Jan Wozniak; Saira Khan, Tamana Sultani, Shazzaneiy Mohamed Nalir

1:00 - 2:15

Telling the Story of the Self: Wisdom, and Blindness as Culture
Rod Michalko, Michel Ferrari

Chair: Carla Grey
Library

Cultural Humility and Competency in Psychotherapy
Deone Curling, Olga Oulanova, Marta Milani

Chair: David Paul Smith
Room: 9-105

Culturally Competent Moments in Psychotherapy: An Experiential Workshop
Kenneth Fung, Ted Lo

Chair: Ellie Gutowski
Room: 12-199

2:15 - 2:30

Break

2:30 - 3:45

Beyond Interracial and International: Celebrating Interracial Relationships and Families in Canada and the United States
Shivon Raghunandan, Marguerite Lengyell, Byron Miller

Chair: Roy Moodley
Library

The Impact of COVID-19 on African/Black People's Mental Health
Roberta Timothy

Race, Animality and Violence in Fanon and Coetzee
Jonathan Russell

Chair: Andre Marseille
Room: 9-105

3:45 - 4:00

Break

4:00 - 5:00

Parallel Papers

Privileging Clients’ Phenomenological & Subjective Experience of Identity
Asher Faerstein

Healing Beyond Description – Undoing Fragmentation in Multicultural Counselling & Psychotherapy
Martín Luciani-Noli

Cultural & Spiritual Meanings of a Harmony-Seeking Self: Implications for Counselling People of Indigenous and Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds
Shaima Ahammed Thayyilayil

Chair: Olga Oulanova
Library

Creating Circles of Belonging
Interactive Experiential Workshop

Shauna Moore
Room: 9-105

Self-Care Practices & Motives in Practicing Therapists
Shasha Oosthuizen

The Rashomon Effect and Social Identity in the Clinic
Naseem Rine-Reesha, Sara Azarshahi, Hayley Mangotich

Chair: Ellie Gutowski
Room: 9-297

Beyond Black Lives Matter: Exploring Cultural Responsivity with Adolescent Sexual Offending
Interactive Experiential Workshop

Elizabeth Evans & Lisa Bertin-
Fabian
Room: 12-199

Friday, June 23 2023

Time	Programme
9:00 - 9:15	Welcome: Abby Goldstein Introductions: Roy Moodley, Sandra Osazuwa, Jenny Hui
9:15 - 10:30 Library	African Traditional Healing Practices & Energy Healing Sandra Osazuwa, David Paul Smith, Njoki Wane Chair: Alex Pieterse
10:30 - 11:45	East Asian and South Asian Traditional Healing Practices Mami Yanai, Yaoxin Zhang, Aanchal Rai Chair: Marguerite Lengyell Library	Awareness and Compassion in Action: A Contemplative Solution for Promoting Trust and Accessibility in Psychotherapy Denise Paneduro, Alicia Howard, Norman Farb Chair: Deone Curling Room: 12-199
11:45 - 12:00	Break
12:00 - 1:00	Seminar (group 1) Mami Yanai, Yaoxin Zhang, Aanchal Rai, David Paul Smith Library	Seminar (group 2) Njoki Wane, Sandra Osazuwa, Alex Pieterse Room: 9-105
1:00 - 1:30	Break
1:30 - 2:30 Parallel Papers	Enhancing Psychotherapists’ Awareness of Privilege Jason Brown, Marguerite Lengyell Chair: Roy Moodley Library	When Yoga Met Psychotherapy Aanchal Rai Experiential Workshop Room: 9-105	De-Stigmatizing Mental Health within the Canadian Somali Diaspora Shukri Hilowle Unveiling the Mental Health Impacts of Gendered Islamophobic Violence on Canadian Muslim Women Hibah Sidat Chair: Anusha Kassan Room: 9-297
2:30 - 2:45	Break
2:45 - 4:00	Inclusivity and Anti-Racism in Healthcare: From Clinics to Communities and Beyond Josephine Etowa, Alex Pieterse Chair: Rob Bedi

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