Conversations with caregivers: Indigenous perspectives on engagement with school psychologists
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Date
2024-08-20
Authors
Mollons, Meghan
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Abstract
The impacts of residential schools on the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples and communities have generated mistrust with Western colonial education and mental health systems. This legacy of harm creates barriers to engagement for Indigenous caregivers, which may impact children’s positive social and academic outcomes. There is a gap in opportunities for positive Indigenous caregiver engagement with school psychologists as well as inadequate knowledge of the influences on this engagement. The present study aimed to address this by building knowledge on Indigenous caregivers’ experiences engaging with school psychologists through a qualitative study. Based in Manitoba, Canada, eight self-identifying Indigenous caregivers of children with past and/or current involvement with school psychologists shared their experiences with engagement to build insights on the perceived barriers and facilitators to involvement. Qualitative data from interviews was thematically analyzed and identified emergent themes of: relationships with school psychologists, caregiver perceptions of engagement, support accessibility, and systemic changes and connection to culture. The current research privileges Indigenous caregiver perspectives and experiences with school psychologists to help inform psychological service delivery in schools. Future research in this area should aim to include a broader range of Indigenous voices and viewpoints, as well as follow up with recommendations for positive engagement.
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Keywords
Indigenous caregivers, Parental engagement, Indigenous perspectives, School psychology, Service delivery