Treaty 2 Territory- UPDATE ON THE EARTH LODGE’S PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WITH ASSINIBOINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE….Being able to effectively counsel individuals and families is a valuable and very important part of all areas of Health Care and Wellness programs; and is a key component of the social services in our nations.  The Earth Lodge is responsible for the training programs that are offered to our members, which is presently done in partnership with Assiniboine Community College.  We presently have 18 students from Treaty 2 enrolled in the Applied Counselling Certificate program which began in October of 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in September of 2022. The counselling skills that our adult students are learning, will apply to a variety of work settings that include, but not limited to: health, education, community development, community services, and the justice system. It is important to note that plans are in the works to build our own College to train our members at a site that will be located in Dauphin. 

APPLIED COUNSELLING

So what is the AC course and what do the students learn? The Applied Counselling course builds on the learning outcomes presented in the Counselling framework and clinical practice as outlined in the course’s text called, “Choices,” by Bob Shebib.  Various models of helping are examined to provide counsellors with a framework for assisting individuals to implement constructive change in their lives.  Students learn to manage reluctance and resistance, challenge individuals, assess blind-spots and help individuals develop new perspectives and wellness plans.  Students will be learning to apply this to the individual and group counselling models.  

Students will be examining the various stages of development change experienced during counselling, in addition to learning and practicing skills and techniques in a clinical setting. Graduates of this program will be skilled in all aspects in counselling and be a great asset to our nations and our Treaty 2 government as we move towards foundational and positive change.

Submitted by Renée McGurry, Earth Lodge Development

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