Emotional and Spiritual Challenges of Aboriginal Foster Parents

The purpose of the study was to identify the emotional and spiritual challenges faced by Aboriginal foster parents. Interviews were conducted with a total of 83 Aboriginal foster parents in a central Canadian province. The interviews were conducted over the phone and participants were asked two questions: “What are the emotional challenges that would cause you to consider quitting fostering?” and “What are the spiritual challenges that would cause you to consider quitting fostering?” Responses to the questions were sorted by participants and analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Seven concepts emerged in response to the first question including: 1) Defending Integrity, 2) Loss of Hope, 3) Unresolved Conflict, 4) Abuse, 5) Fear for Safety, 6) Burnout, and 7) Resentment. Three concepts emerged on response to the second question including: 1) Meaninglessness, 2) Being Alone, and 3) Religious Restrictions. The concepts were compared to and contrasted with the fostering literature. Keywords: Aboriginal, foster parents, foster children, emotional challenges, spiritual challenges, supports

Standing on the forefront of school mental health: Building upon capacity in teacher candidates through mental health literacy and trauma-and-violence-informed-care

Early identification and access to appropriate supports can improve the trajectory of childhood mental illnesses. Schools and educators have consistently been identified as having a significant role in both mental health promotion efforts as well as the identification of emerging mental health concerns amongst students. Equipping teachers for this role through professional development related to mental health literacy (MHL) is essential in ensuring their success. Closely tied to mental health is a sense of safety, and children who feel unsafe at school may have greater difficulty regulating their emotions and behaviour and be less available for learning. Utilizing a trauma-and-violence-informed-care (TVIC) framework within the education system may help schools provide safe places for all students, including those exposed to trauma, structural violence and experiencing mental health concerns. Initial teacher education offers a natural opportunity to prepare future educators with the knowledge, skills and self-efficacy needed to create learning environments that are safe, equitable and meet the needs of all students, including those with mental health concerns and/or the experience of trauma and violence. A mandatory, online mental health literacy course was utilized to provide instruction in MHL and TVIC to Bachelor of Education students (n=287) at a large Canadian university. Pre and post-test measures were used to capture knowledge gains with respect to mental health literacy, attitudes towards trauma-and-violence-informed-care and self-efficacy for utilizing inclusive teaching practices. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed a significant effect of time across measures, indicating that knowledge gains were made. There was no significant effect of previous learning on the measures of interest, which suggests that knowledge gains were made regardless of participants’ previous mental health knowledge. These findings highlight the importance of including these topics within initial teacher education. Implications for policy and practice are discussed

Thinking chickens: a review of cognition, emotion, and behavior in the domestic chicken

Domestic chickens are members of an order, Aves, which has been the focus of a revolution in our understanding of neuroanatomical, cognitive, and social complexity. At least some birds are now known to be on par with many mammals in terms of their level of intelligence, emotional sophistication, and social interaction. Yet, views of chickens have largely remained unrevised by this new evidence. In this paper, I examine the peer-reviewed scientific data on the leading edge of cognition, emotions, personality, and sociality in chickens, exploring such areas as self-awareness, cognitive bias, social learning and self-control, and comparing their abilities in these areas with other birds and other vertebrates, particularly mammals. My overall conclusion is that chickens are just as cognitively, emotionally and socially complex as most other birds and mammals in many areas, and that there is a need for further noninvasive comparative behavioral research with chickens as well as a re-framing of current views about their intelligence