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Group procedures and applications for developing sociocultural competencies among immigrants

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Abstract

If immigrants are to get the best results in theirsocial and work worlds, they must possess not only therelevant cultural information, but also the requisitebehavioural skills inherent in the novel social rolesthat people acquire as members of the new country. This paper argues that the preferred training modelfor developing such competencies is one which utilizesrole-based learning in groups and incorporates aspectsof group counselling theory and practice. Effectivefacilitators of these immigrant groups should beskilled group leaders competent in taking participantsthrough the four stages - alliance building, culturalmapping, coaching and practice, and contract setting - involved in teaching each of severalkey sociocultural competencies. Group leaders will need to performparticular types of task and maintenance functions,and facilitate the development of group inclusion,control, and trust. To achieve this, facilitators arerecommended to use a range of micro skills for groupleading, processing, and counselling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Councelling Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada

    Marvin J. Westwood

  2. University of Canberra, Canada

    Anita Mak

  3. Griffith University, Canada

    Michelle Barker

  4. University of British Columbia, Canada

    F. Ishu Ishiyama

Authors
  1. Marvin J. Westwood
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  2. Anita Mak
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  3. Michelle Barker
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  4. F. Ishu Ishiyama
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Westwood, M.J., Mak, A., Barker, M. et al. Group procedures and applications for developing sociocultural competencies among immigrants. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling 22, 317–330 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005633303702

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