MA in Indigenous Communities Counselling in Canada at UVic Canada

Program Overview for MA in Indigenous Communities Counselling in Canada:

Receive the advanced education needed to influence the community and life. Our courses are characterized by small classes, which have a great educational impact.

The skills you learn here will prepare you for a career as a consultant or therapist. You will gain experience in using these skills in underserved communities, children, trauma survivors, and indigenous communities.

This community-based program makes indigenous values ​​and traditions a priority. Get professional training to participate in mental health work and play a helping role in the Aboriginal community. We focus on key values ​​that we develop together with partners in indigenous communities. This is the first plan of its kind in Canada. 

These tutoring programs have small class sizes and direct instruction. They use practice/internship as a form of counselor preparation.

Areas of focus

• Counseling psychology
• Indigenous communities counseling
• Educational psychology
• Learning psychology
• Development psychology
• Instructional sciences
• Measurement, evaluation, and computer applications
• Special education
• Leadership studies

The eligibility for MA in Indigenous Communities Counselling in Canada for both domestic and international student is:

Candidates seeking admission should normally be able to satisfy the entrance requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Further to these requirements, the Department of Educational and Leadership Studies requires an acceptable bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and normally a grade point average of 6.0 (B+) in the last two years of academic work. Entry to the program is competitive, and enrolment may be restricted in any given year. All applicants should submit a current resumé and a brief letter of intent. Other requirements include prerequisite courses, previous field experience, assessment reports, references, and personal statements.

Applicants for admission whose first language is not English should consult the English Language proficiency requirements.

Potential applicants may contact the Graduate Program Assistant for application information about specific programs. They may also visit our website.

For community-based programs, phone: 250-721-7875.

Indigenous Communities Counselling Psychology

The program is open to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous applicants. Consistent with the University of Victoria policy on equity and access, preference will be given to Indigenous applicants and those working in a helping capacity with Indigenous Communities.

1. Applicants are required to have completed a baccalaureate degree with at least a B+ average (78%) in the last two years of course work. Applicants with less than a "B+" average (6.0 GPA) on their undergraduate degree may be eligible for admission as Mature Students.
2. To be eligible for registration with provincial and national counselor certification bodies, applicants are expected to have a broad understanding of helping principles and issues due to their academic coursework. A minimum of 3.0 units of relevant 3rd and 4th-year coursework is required in Aboriginal or Indigenous helping/healing, educational psychology, psychology, child and youth care, or a related helping discipline. Examples include PSYC 330 Personality, ED-D 419 Introduction to Indigenous Helping and Healing, or CYC 338 Applying Developmental Theory in Child and Youth Care. Applicants should provide a list of these relevant courses and the grades obtained with their application.
3. Completing pre-requisite courses ED-D 414 Group Processes, ED-D 417 Effective Interpersonal Communication, and ED-D 418 Introduction to Theories of Counselling with at least a B+ grade is required. Applicants requesting equivalency must send detailed course outlines (syllabi) and other supporting information to the Graduate Advisor before application.
   Applicants who have not completed all required pre-requisite courses should be registered in these courses by March 15 of the application year and indicate this in their personal statement. Applicants may be offered admission to the program conditional upon completion of whatever required courses are outstanding. All courses must be completed before the program start.
4. Successful, relevant field experience must be completed before the application deadline and documented in a complete résumé. For the Indigenous Communities Counselling Psychology program, we are particularly interested in applicants who have completed all or part of their field experience in Indigenous-based settings. Field experience is defined as working in a helping capacity in a counseling, helping-related, or teaching-related setting with children, adolescents, or adults. 200 hours are recommended.
5. Two Assessment Reports (references to be sent directly to Graduate Records and Admissions) from professors and/or supervisors are required.
6. Applicants are required to submit a minimum of two Counselling Skills Evaluations. One must be from an instructor of ED-D 417 (or equivalent). The other may be from a supervisor of the applicant's counseling or another applied work setting.
7. A personal statement (3 to 5 pages) describing future work plans and motivation for graduate work in Counselling is also required. Please address the following:
   • How your enrolment in the ICCP at the University of Victoria might help you meet important personal and/or community goals. What background and/or experience do you have related to helping in Indigenous communities?
   • What preferences do you have regarding course content and style of teaching, skill development, and personal learning?
   • What are your strengths and weaknesses as a person, learner, and counselor?
   • What personal and/or cultural values are most important to you, and how do they influence your views about being a counselor?
   • In what type of setting would you like to work following graduation from a counseling program, and with what client population would you like to work?
   • Add any other relevant information that you think would help the admissions committee to know about you as a person, a community member, and a potential counselor.
   • Indicate the names of the people who have been asked to submit your Counselling Skills Evaluations.
   • Applicants are advised to use the above headings in abbreviated form in the Personal Statement to facilitate reading the material. The personal statement should be typed, double spaced, with normal margins, and no longer than 5 pages. Please include on the first page: current date, name, address, phone number, and fax number/e-mail address (if available). Students who reactivate their files should submit an updated personal statement and résumé.
8. Applicants reactivating their file for reconsideration must detail in a letter the actions they have taken to strengthen their new application over the previous one.
9. Applicants requesting admission consideration due to disability must put their request in writing at the time of application, providing an explanation of their situation and appropriate medical or other documentation.
10. As of September 2011, successful applicants must undergo a criminal record check in compliance with the BC Criminal Records Review Act and submit it to the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies for review before full acceptance is given.

Additional information about the Indigenous Communities Counselling Psychology program can be found on the website.

Don't hesitate to contact our Program Coordinator or current Academic Advisor if you have any questions regarding the application process and/or meet the above admission criteria.

These are the test eligibilities for the MA in Indigenous Communities Counselling to qualify.

The international student tuition fees and costs for MA in Indigenous Communities Counselling in Canada.

All graduate students must have a faculty member who serves as their academic supervisor. When you apply:

• You must list a potential supervisor on your application
• This faculty member must agree to be your supervisor and recommend your admission.

To find a supervisor, review the faculty contacts. When you've found a faculty member whose research complements your own, contact them by email.

Educational Psychology and Counselling Psychology
eplsgrad@uvic.ca or 250-721-7883.

Graduate students registered in full-time programs are automatically considered for a fellowship. This is based on a qualifying GPA.

Individual award amounts may vary depending on the program.

UVic Fellowship Awards

• Up to $17,500 per year (masters)
• Up to $20,000 per year (Ph.D.)

UVic Graduate Awards

• Up to $10,000 per year (masters and PhD)

Eligibility

• The minimum requirement for funding consideration is an A- average on the last two years of coursework
• Domestic and international students are considered equally for funding
• Full-time registration (3.0 units) for UVic Fellowship holders and at least part-time registration (1.5 units) for UVic Graduate Award holders
• Full-time registration for students registered with the Centre for Accessible Learning (CAL) is 1.5 units

Every year we employ many graduate students to assist with teaching, research, and lab instruction.

• Their academic units hire teaching assistants (TAs) to assist with teaching and grading courses. These are unionized, hourly positions.
• Faculty members hire research assistants (RAs) to help with their research. These roles are sometimes called scientific assistants or laboratory instructors. RA salaries come from faculty members’ research grants. Because of this, RA hours, salary, and other details are worked out between you and the faculty member.

Work-study

The work-study program offers part-time jobs on campus that fit your course schedule.

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a full-time student
• Demonstrate financial need
• Have a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Co-operative Education Program (co-op)

UVic is home to the largest graduate co-op program in Canada. You can add a co-op to your master’s or doctoral studies for work experience in your field of study.

Bursaries

We offer non-repayable bursaries based on financial needs.

To be eligible for a bursary, you must be:

• Already receiving the maximum government student loans available to you
• In full-time status as determined by the Faculty of Graduate Studies
• In good academic standing