Racial/Cultural Identity: Transformation among School-Based Mental Health Professionals Working in Nunavut - Study Findings

Oct 15, 2026

Examines how eight non-Aboriginal school counselors temporarily working in Nunavut experienced changes in their racial/cultural identity and sense of self following cross-cultural immersion with Inuit clients. Counselors also completed an arts-based exercise depicting perceived self-changes. Narrative and artwork analysis showed increasing awareness of “Whiteness” and participation in colonizing culture, alongside shifts in cultural worldview aligned with Inuit socio-centric and eco-centric perspectives, supporting culturally sensitive counseling practice. Uses the study context of Canadian education and Indigenous assimilation history to frame the need for multicultural competence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages32

Reading Time1 h 21 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction and Context

Cultural identity, colonization, and residential schools

Urban relocation and cross-cultural competence needs

Multicultural Competence Framework

Components of multicultural competence

Role of school counselors and psychologists

Study Methods and Findings

Interviews and arts-based exercise

Awareness of Whiteness and cultural worldview shifts

Implications for Practice

Culturally sensitive counseling in Inuit contexts

RACIAL/CULTURAL IDENTITY: TRANSFORMATION AMONG SCHOOL‐BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN NUNAVUT Christine Wihak University of Calgary & Noorfarah Merali University of Alberta Eight non‐Aboriginal school counselors, who temporarily lived in Nunavut to provide services to Inuit clients, were interviewed regarding changes in their sense of self and their racial/cultural identity as a result of cross‐cultural immersion. They were also engaged in an arts‐based exercise where they pictorially represented perceived self‐changes. Analysis of counsellors’ narratives of their experiences in Nunavut and their art work revealed an increasing awareness of their “Whiteness”and their participation in the colonizing culture. The counsellors also displayed changes in cultural worldview that directly paralleled the socio‐centric and eco‐ centric nature of the Inuit culture, precipitating culturally sensitive counselling practice. Key words: racial/cultural identity; whiteness; Aboriginal; school counselling; multicultural competence CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 30, 1 (2007): 291‐322 Huit conseillers pédagogiques non autochtones temporairement en poste au Nunavut pour fournir des services à une clientèle inuite ont été interviewés au sujet de l’évolution de leur perception de leur identité personnelle et raciale/culturelle à la suite de leur immersion dans une autre culture. Ces conseillers ont également participé à un exercice créatif dans le cadre duquel ils devaient représenter en images les changements qu’ils avaient perçus chez eux. L’analyse des propos de ces conseillers au sujet de leurs expériences au Nunavut et de leurs créations ont révélé une conscientisation accrue de leur appartenance à la race blanche et de leur participation à une culture colonisatrice. Les auteurs notent également que la vision du monde de ces conseillers pédagogiques a changé et ce, en lien direct avec la nature sociocentrique et écocentrique de la culture inuite, ce qui a favorisé une prestation de services tenant compte des différences culturelles. Mots clés : identité raciale/culturelle, race blanche, autochtones, conseillerpédagogique, compétence multiculturelle Aboriginal people represent one of Canada’s fastest growing cultural communities (Statistics Canada, 2003, 2004) . This group consists of the Inuit people of Nunavut, First Nations communities, and the Metis (Assembly of First Nations, 1994) . As the original inhabitants of Canada who were subject to colonization and decades of government policies aimed at forced assimilation, Aboriginal people continue to experience widespread racism and discrimination and are recognized as the country’s most disadvantaged group (Waldram, 1997) . In the history of Canadian society, residential schools served as one of the vehicles for assimilation of Aboriginal people into Canadian culture by forcibly separating children from their parents and Elders (Assembly of First Nations) . According to Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada,(IRSRC, 2006), a federal government agency handling residential school abuse claims from Inuit and First Nations people, children who attended these schools were punished for speaking their own language and for practising their culture or spirituality. Many children were also verbally, physically, and sexually abused. Today, many Aboriginal people and communities experience a multitude of problems associated with the intergenerational trauma of residential schools. These include chronic poverty, family breakdown, low academic achievement, depression, anxiety, and high suicide rates (Anawak, 2000; Korhonen, 2002; Waldram, 1997) . In recent years, increasing numbers of Aboriginal people have relocated to urban environments where they have the opportunity to economically, socially, and culturally integrate (Statistics Canada, 2004) . As a result, Aboriginal students have a significant presence in contemporary Canadian schools and are integrating in po

FAQs

What change in racial/cultural identity did the counselors report after working in Nunavut?

Their narratives and art indicated an increasing awareness of their “Whiteness” and participation in a colonizing culture.

How did the study investigate counselors’ perceived self-changes?

Through interviews with the counselors and an arts-based exercise where they pictorially represented perceived self-changes.

What role did the Inuit cultural worldview play in counseling practice, according to the findings?

Counselors’ changes in cultural worldview directly paralleled Inuit socio-centric and eco-centric nature, precipitating culturally sensitive counseling practice.

Oct 15, 2026

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