BCCDA ITP CONFERENCE INFORMATON

 

Internationally Trained Professionals (ITP) Conference

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Cultural Awareness and Multicultural Counselling/Coaching

Douglas College , New Westminster Campus, Main Theatre

700 Royal Avenue , New Westminster , BC 

 

In June of each year, the BCCDA (formerly ENET) is prou d to host the Internationally Trained Professionals (ITP) Conference.   This is the 9 th annual conference focused on employment, education and training for internationally trained professionals.   This conference was initially developed to better inform career practitioners and other related helping professions of current and future needs, new developments and best practices in professional immigrant services and programming.

The theme of this year's conference - Cultural Awareness and Multicultural Counselling/Coaching - is to highlight the need to make the most of our clients' backgrounds to make a realistic transition into Canadian society.   This theme involves counselling with a multicultural awareness that can influence a client's perspective individually while relating to Canada's cultural practices and encouraging professionals to encompass each unique dynamic with best practices and results.

 

AGENDA

7:45 am to 8:30 am                 Registration

8:30 am to 8:45 am                 Announcements and Introductions

8:45 am to 9:30 am                 Keynote Speaker:   David C. Thomas, PhD

9:30 am to 9:45 am                 Settling in to sessions

9:45 am to 10:45 am               Breakout Rooms:  Session A

                                                            Alper Caglayan (room 1220)

                                                            Ceyda Gultan (room 1620)

                                                            Kima Jones (room 1717)

                                                            Peter Paul Harnisch  (room 1711)

10:45 am to 11:15 am             Refreshments and Networking

11:15 am to 12:15 am             Breakout Rooms: Session B

                                                            Alper Caglayan (room 1220)

                                                            Ceyda Gultan (room 1620)

                                                            Kima Jones (room 1717)

                                                            Peter Paul Harnisch (room 1711)

12:15 am to 1:15 pm               Lunch

1:15 pm to 1:30 pm                Settling in for the afternoon session

1:30 pm to 2:45 pm                Multi-Cultural Presentations

                                                            Tai Chi:  Sunny Sun 

                                                            Capoeira :  Nego

                                                            Percussions:  Paul Bray and Liam McDonald 

2:45 pm to 3:30 pm                Multi-Cultural Counselling:   Dr. Michelle Mann

3:30 pm to 3:45 pm                Closing Comments and Door Prizes

 

To Register On-line:  http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=21&EID=6811  

Conference Rates (early bird deadline is Friday, May 20):

Early bird member:  $40

Early bird non-member:  $50

Regular rates member:  $50

Regular rates non-member:  $60

Full-time Student:  $25

 

Opening Keynote:   David C Thomas, PhD

David C Thomas (PhD University of South Carolina) is Professor of International Management and Director of the Centre for Global Workforce Strategy at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.   He also currently serves as Director of the PhD Program in Business Administration.

He is the author of eight books including Cultural Intelligence: Living and Working Globally, (2009, Berrett-Koehler Publishers).   His book Cross-Cultural Management Essential Concepts (2008, Sage Publications) was the winner of the R. Wayne Pace Human Resource Development book of the year award for 2008.   In addition, he has recently edited (with Peter B. Smith and Mark Peterson) The Handbook of Cross-Cultural Management Research from Sage Publications.   His research on cross-cultural interactions in organizational settings has appeared in numerous journals. He is currently the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of World Business, Journal of Organizational Behavior, European Journal of Cross-Cultural Competence and Management.

His previous academic postings have included positions at the Pennsylvania State University and The University of Auckland, New Zealand, where he was also Director of the Master of International Business Program.   He has held visiting positions at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of Hawaii, and ESCEM, Tours, France.   When not writing or teaching he can often be found scraping or varnishing (or sometimes sailing) his 1972 Cheoy Lee ketch Pounamu.

 

Afternoon Speaker:   Michelle Mann, PhD, RCC

Michelle Mann (PhD, RCC) is a registered clinical counsellor and a group therapist with twenty-five years of experience in human service work as a clinical and educational counsellor, school counsellor, clinical supervisor, researcher, graduate faculty associate, teacher, group facilitator, consultant, and author. She specializes in mental health promotion and the prevention of mental disorders and social problems.

Michelle has international experience in Cross-Cultural Counselling. She develops and implements creative counselling programs for emotional and social growth. Her mental health program, "I Am the Key," has been recognized by several major national health institutes in the Netherlands as well as by Mental Health Europe (MHE) (2004).

Michelle's private practice, "Be the Key Counselling Services," is located in Vancouver and North Vancouver. She is a faculty member in the Counselling Psychology Program of several BC institutes.   Currently, she works for City University of Seattle, Vancouver Campus, and in Vancouver Community College's Counselling Certificate Program.

Her clinical interests include Cross Cultural Counselling, Social Justice Therapy, Narrative-Therapy, Applied Existential Philosophy, and Applied Positive Psychology. Her clinical and research work over the past two decades have been in the field of depression, anxiety, and aggressive behavior, as well as Promotion of Mental Well-being. Based on her work experience she believes in the possibility of positive change. She is a passionate advocate for the promotion of resiliency, adjustment, self-esteem, self-control, social support, and happiness in everyday's life.  

Michelle's scholarly pursuits and her community service activities are her passion. She lectures in the Mental Health Speakers Series and participates in the counselling project: 'Counselling the Under Served on the North Shore' for the Canadian Mental Health Association - North & West Vancouver Branch & the B. C. Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). Michelle is also involved as a consultant in community diversity projects. Two recent projects were: The film "Down Here", a documentary film about homeless life in down-town east side Vancouver and the "Canes Enable"project, an initiative that aims to increase awareness and understanding of individuals who are living with disabilities and differences in British Columbia.

 

Breakout Speakers

 

Alper Caglayan:  Compassionate Communication (also known as Nonviolent Communication)

Alper Caglayan, M.Ed Counselling Psychology, has been studying and teaching Compassionate Communication for the last 7 years.   He has received over 110 hours of official training, and as well attended a 9-day International Intensive training in Switzerland on scholarship from the Centre for Nonviolent Communication in 2006.   He has given a number of workshops on the model and has facilitated a weekly practice group in Vancouver.   Alper is currently working as a counsellor at Vancouver Community College and gives on-going trainings here based on the Nonviolent Communication model.

Compassionate Communication (also known as Nonviolent Communication, NVC) is a communication skills training developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg.   The model is taught and practiced in 65 countries around the world.   This is a deeply effective and transformative model of communication that is being applied to many areas of life such as counselling and therapy, relationships, conflict resolution and mediation, community building, education, work place, social change and peace efforts in the world.   NVC looks at how certain habitual forms of language we all use can lead to both hurt and violence, even when it is unintended.   Rosenberg uses the term nonviolence as Ghandi used it - to refer to our natural state of compassion.   The model provides practical tools and skills to enhance both compassion and a quality of connection in our relationships.   It both focuses on a way of expressing oneself honestly and fully without any blame and criticism, and also how to hear the other person with empathy and compassion even under extremely difficult situations.   Rosenberg has successfully applied this model in some of the most conflict ridden parts around the globe.   This workshop will be a hands on introduction to the model and it will cover the basics of these communication skills.

 

Ceyda Gultan:  Skilled Immigrants Group Coaching Virtual Retreat

Being a skilled immigrant herself, Ceyda Gultan has an extensive background in organizational effectiveness, human resources and training consultancy.   Ceyda is a certified co-active coach, and member at large of the International Coach Federation, Vancouver Chapter.   Since 2006, she has been coaching executives and people in career transition.   With her recently launched coaching and consulting business, she has combined both coaching practices and intercultural competencies around group coaching to help immigrants who seek career development, purposeful personal growth, and meaningful achievements in their lives.

Group coaching is a facilitated group process where participants from similar interest areas join in with free will to seek out purposeful personal growth and meaningful achievements in their lives.   It brings clarity about one's actions and enable to bring forth one's valuable resources.   Although every individual has a very own, unique way of fulfillment throughout the program, it's the group process which empowers individuals and let the shift happen to be.   Skilled Immigrants Group Coaching Program enables skilled immigrants:

• To be heard by themselves, where the most precious information and insight lie within
• To discover, clarify and align with what skilled immigrants want to achieve
• To encourage skilled immigrant self discovery
• To elicit skilled-immigrant-generated solutions and strategies
• To hold the skilled immigrants responsible and accountable

Some questions that are pondered before stepping into the road map are:

• How are the skilled immigrants experiencing being a new member of the society?
• What are the values that skilled immigrants hold on to?
• Which values would skilled immigrants like to bring over as a gift?
• Which values would skilled immigrants like to trade in?
• What's new and how would they like to fit in?
• What's alive for them in their new home?
• Where would they see themselves five years from now?
• How would they like to draw their own skilled immigrant road map?

 

Peter Paul Harnisch:  I Need Your Help: Is itTtrue?

Peter Paul Harnisch's background includes: Director of a youth employment society; a Life Skills Coach for street youth;   a Case Manager/Employment Counsellor/Coordinator for employment programs for immigrants and refugees;   a Career Consultant for skilled and professional immigrants: and currently a Career Strategist/Case Manager at Training Innovations Inc in a Burnaby, BC.

This presentation is about deepening ones understanding and awareness of the counselling process when working with Immigrant Professionals.   Immigrants come to Canada with very high expectations of the system and of themselves.   Many times they are greatly disappointed with the "reality" of trying to find work related to their profession and put great pressures on counsellors to "help" them.   Sometimes they are desperate to be helped.   By becoming more aware of the deeper layers of thoughts and emotions during the counselling process counsellors are better able to maintain perspective and personal well being.   Immigrants "need" our help...is it true?

 

Kima Jones:  Soft Skills: A Non-Prescriptive Approach

Kima Jones has been working with newcomers to Canada for almost 20 years.   Since 2006 she has specialized in the development and delivery of training and educational offerings which focus on interpersonal skills and North American workplace culture.   She currently teaches for Simon Fraser University and Douglas College.   As well, Kima runs her own educational consulting firm, Know How Education and Career Services.   Kima has an MBA in Educational Management from the University of Leicester, England.

Many of us know that the "Canadian" experience so often in demand by recruiting professionals is just another way of saying "this job requires good soft skills".   However, this notion is not always easily conveyed and sometimes advocates for internationally trained professionals are challenged by how to address this issue.   Improving interpersonal skills is in fact a personal pursuit and thus a sensitive one.   There surrounds it connotations of self-help and for many its relevance to professional capability can't be identified.   This workshop will look at some ways to communicate the relevance of understanding the socio-cultural aspects of finding suitable employment.   Specifically it will examine the importance of recognizing the interpersonal nuances required during both the job search and job probation stages.   Emphasis will be placed on facilitating a non-prescriptive approach; one which motivates and allows for the maintenance of personal values and identity.