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MACP CONNECTIONS FALL 2016


From the Editor’s Desk We’ve had a few significant changes since our last newsletter in May. First, we’re delighted to welcome two new Core Faculty members, Dr. Rob Roughley and Dr. Heather Macdonald – both have been instructing within the MACP program for a while so many of you will have met them previously. We also have a new Program Advisor, Adam Campbell – read more about each of them in the following pages.

Dr. Roberta Neault Associate Dean, Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, Yorkville University

In this edition of our newsletter, we have messages from the Registrar’s Office, Student Services, the Field Training team, the Writing Lab, the Library, the Associate Dean of Faculty Development, the Ask YU tech support team, and our student representative for the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). A few recent publications by members of the MACP family are also highlighted. Also, as mentioned, Dr. Rob Roughley and Dr. Heather Macdonald, our new Core Faculty team members, are being profiled. Aside from brief introductions, our Program Advisors Adam Campbell and Lynn Reicker offer some tips and insights on the value of actively participating in discussions throughout the MACP program. Finally, we look ahead to some special days – and one of the most special, of course, is graduation! Save the date for June 23, 2017! Hope to see you in Fredericton!


From the Office of the Registrar . . . 2017 Graduation Ceremony Contributed by Kady McDonnell

Yorkville University is pleased to announce that the 2017 University graduation ceremony is being held on Friday, June 23rd, 2017 at 2:00pm Atlantic time. The ceremony will take place at the Delta Fredericton. All MACP students who are enrolled in their practicum by May 1st, 2017 and those who have graduated are welcome to participate in the ceremony! We encourage all those eligible to participate in the ceremony to take this opportunity to attend as this is a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow classmates, instructors, and the Yorkville University staff you have been working with! In order to obtain a copy a copy of the graduation attendance form, you can download it directly from the Campus or you can contact Kady McDonnell at [email protected]. The forms are due by Friday, March 31st, 2017. Any graduation ceremony questions you may have can also be directed to Kady. More details, such as information on the Valedictorian the selection process, will be released in the near future. Hope to see you all there!

Practicum Update Contributed by Dr. Terry Lane, Director of Field Training

Back in the second century, a Roman senator, Cato the Elder, prefaced all his speeches with the phrase “Carthage must be destroyed” (Carthage being a rival city state). I feel a little bit like Cato, inserting my phrase “Practicum sites must be found” in every newsletter. This past September, YU admitted about 400 students to the MACP program. This means that, in less than 2 years, all of these students will be looking for practicum locations as well as those between now and then, at the start of every trimester. If students are unable to find a suitable location before a trimester

begins, it adds an automatic 4-month delay to their intended graduation date. Cato’s exhortation had a happy ending (well, unless you happened to be a Carthaginian). Any sites you can suggest for the Field Training unit to direct students to investigate will add to our happy endings, with things being created rather than destroyed. If you know of any suitable sites or supervisors, please connect with our Associate Director of Field Training, Mary Ann van Gaal ([email protected]).


Update from the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) Contributed by our student representative, Caleigh Dunfield

I’d like to thank those of you who have taken the time to reach out with your questions. The most frequently asked question I’ve had in the last month or so pertains to the CCC-Q designation, so I thought I’d address that here.

CCC-Q

CCPA 2017 Conference

For those of you who don’t know, some of our Yorkville graduates were granted the CCC-Q title when they applied for certification with the CCPA. This prompted some confusion for many Yorkville students, past and present, seeking CCC status. Here’s a little clarification!

In other exciting CCPA news, the 2017 Annual Conference will be held at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John’s, Newfoundland from May 16th – 19th. This year’s confirmed keynote speakers are as follows:

The CCC-Q title is a qualifying title, meaning that the member is qualifying to become fully certified with the CCPA. When a member receives the qualifying title, it typically means that they’ve met all of the CCPA’s requirements with the exception of one component (e.g., too few practicum hours, a missing course). The CCC-Q title allows the member one year to meet the outstanding requirement. After a year (or however long it takes to complete whatever is necessary), the CCPA checks in to ensure that the requirement has been met. Qualifying members have the same benefits as a CCC designated member, including insurance, a directory listing, etc. As Dr. Roberta Neault kindly pointed out in an update a few months ago, the most common post-graduate requirement that our students are running into is needing 15 extra hours of supervision with a qualified supervisor.

Congratulations to Successful Applicants! I’m thrilled to report that as of this month, 13 Yorkville University MACP grads have been granted the CCC designation, and another 6 have been granted the CCC-Q designation - congratulations to our alumni! If you have further questions about the certification process, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! I am always happy to provide you with answers when I can, and seek outside clarification directly from the CCPA on your behalf when necessary.

• • • •

Christina Dove – The Neuroplasticity of Art Therapy in the Autism Spectrum Stephane Bouchard - Psychotherapy and Counselling: Implications for Virtual Reality and Videoconference Dave Redekopp - Career Development and Mental Health Dan Siegel (via videostream) - Mindfulness, Mindsight, and the Integrated Brain: What is the Mind and Mental Health

The Annual Conference provides a great opportunity to engage in professional development, network with other professionals, and (if I may be so bold!) kick up your heels in one of the most extraordinary cities in Canada! Student members of the CCPA enjoy an early-bird registration fee of $195 (regular student price after January 31st, 2017 - $240). For more information, please visit https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/continuing-education/annual-conference/. Also, interested parties should be sure to join the Facebook event to receive updates at https://www.facebook.com/events/1757585141161900/?active_tab=discussion. Thanks for reading! As always, if you have further questions about the CCPA and what student membership can do for you, don’t hesitate to contact me at caleigh.dunfield@nbed. nb.ca Editor’s Note: Please let me know if you plan to attend the CCPA conference; YU likes to host meet-ups at and this would be a great chance to connect (Dr. Roberta Neault: [email protected]). I’ll be presenting at the conference on behalf of the Counsellor Educators chapter of CCPA, as incoming President of the Chapter.


Digital Storytelling to Enhance Online Teaching and Learning Contributed by Jill Cummings with Liz Carges

Stories engage and empower. And digital storytelling brings the magic of stories to our online teaching and learning world. Digital storytelling in education is the application of technology to the age-old tradition of sharing narratives to teach and learn. https://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/example_stories.cfm?id=21&cid=21 Yorkville University instructors have been sharing digital stories in our faculty training workshops. We are pleased to bring you the following example of a digital story that MACP instructor, Dr. Liz Carges, has recently developed. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9SGbGzz7mNrWU1SNFNQbjZ6SnM/view This digital story illustrates the use of slides, audio, and text as a video greeting and introduction. These digital narratives combine slides and/or video with audio, text, and music to present short stories that are increasingly being used for a variety of purposes: to deliver and illustrate concepts and content; to research and demonstrate knowledge through student projects and assignments; and, as in Dr. Carges’ digital story, to provide an introduction. We hope that you will create your own digital stories. A digital story may be developed with such publicly available software as Movie Maker https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14220/windows-movie-maker-download, or, iMovie if you are a Mac user http://www.apple.com/mac/imovie/. In 2017, Faculty Development at Yorkville University will be providing an instructor workshop entitled Using Innovations in Technologies for Online Teaching and Learning. Instrutors will develop a range of approaches for using innovations such as digital storytelling and other technologies to enhance teaching and learning. Watch for this workshop which will be announced in the MACP Faculty Lounge, or contact Jill Cummings, Associate Dean Faculty Development, at [email protected]. About the Authors Dr. Jill Cummings is the Associate Dean Faculty Development with Yorkville University, and may be contacted at [email protected] or (506) 454-1220 (ext. 1303).

Tech Tips

Dr. Liz Carges, an MACP instructor with Yorkville University, focused her doctoral research on eating pathology and body image disorders. She completed her APA-accredited internship at the Baylor College of Medicine and The Menninger Clinic.

issue; there is nothing worse than being prepared and then having your presentation halted by a technical glitch that could have been prevented.

Contributed by Crystal Comeau and the Ask YU team

Here at Ask YU, we try to pre-emptively address issues that students may experience during their time at YU. In keeping with this spirit we are reminding all OmniJoin users to practice BEFORE your session/recording. This allows for you to contact us at ASK YU without a scary deadline and people potentially waiting for you to solve your

For information regarding OmniJoin please see the “Finding Your Way Around Campus” book in the Orientation. For a one-on-one walkthrough of how to use OmniJoin, contact Miranda Smith, Senior Technology Officer, at [email protected] Our goal is to help you be successful in your learning.


A Quick Update from Yorkville University’s Writing Lab Submitted by Dr. Deirdre Pickerell, Writing Lab Coordinator and Dean of Academics, BC

YU’s Writing Lab continues to be a resource for students with questions and writing samples submitted regularly. That being said, given we have just over 2,700 students, the Lab has been a bit quiet over the last few weeks. Instructors, please take the time to remind students they have access to the lab; students, feel free to just click on the link in your course list in Moodle to review resources, read previously posted questions, post new questions, and submit writing samples for review. Hot off the presses, a new resource will soon be added to lab. Dr. Sandra Collins recently shared her open textbook, Professional Writing in the Health Disciplines. Available at http://epub-fhd.athabascau.ca/professionalwriting/ this is fantastic resource for students wishing to improve their writing skills.

Sage Videos Contributed by our Librarian, Paul Graham

The Library is now engaged in a Free Trial of SAGE’s Counselling Psychology Videos. Please go to the library, then “Scholarly Databases,” then “Current Free Trials” for accessing counselling and psychology videos from SAGE. It is very important that you review the brief orientation guide in the instruction section first, as you will need to navigate to the SAGE videos’ section for accessing their online content. This collection of over 130 hours of video draws upon a vast network of SAGE’s authors and editors. It includes many tutorials, interviews, and demonstrations, along with many more films addressing practitioner issues.


Welcome to Our YU MACP Community Two of our MACP instructors, Dr. Rob Roughley and Dr. Heather Macdonald, have been recently appointed to our Core Faculty team. Here’s a bit of information about each of them.

Heather Macdonald, PhD., R. Psych, RMFT (National), has been working with at-risk children/teens and their families for the last 20 years. She opened her own private practice 8 years ago and completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Heather brings with her an understanding of child and adolescent development, supervisory and management experience, teaching/training facilitation experience, and a wealth of knowledge in connecting with children/teenagers and families about their educational and socio-emotional needs. Her research interests include teaching and learning disabilities, the art of finding the space between people, and creating conversations that make room for true communication. She has a heart for the most at-risk children and families and often finds herself connecting with those who are struggling to find their way through traditional learning structures. In Dr. Heather’s spare time you will find her walking with her therapy dog Macaulay Blue (Mak), travelling as much as possible, and dreaming. She believes that a day is not complete until a little time has been given to dreaming. All things are possible when you believe.

Dr. Robert Roughley lives in Calgary and works in private practice as a counselling practitioner focusing on human sexuality, supporting the LGBTTQI community in Calgary, and sex therapy. As a former educator in elementary and secondary education, Dr. Roughley has worked with school boards and administration in the creation of safe and culturally-inclusive learning environments for students and educators. From practice and research perspectives, Dr. Roughley explores the scholarship of teaching and learning, human sexualities and sexual/gender orientations, culture-infused counselling practice, social-justice and client advocacy, resilience and marginalized communities, and diversity and adult education. Dr. Roughley has a passion and love for teaching and has been the recipient of numerous teaching excellence nominations in his field. In 2013, Dr. Roughley was awarded the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta Teaching Excellence award for his commitment to counselor education. In his “spare time,” Dr. Roughley spends his time travelling, engaging in volunteer work, singing in choirs, and participating in high-adrenalin sports.


Meet Your MACP Program Advisors Hi, students. My name is Adam Campbell and I’m your new Program Advisor for the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology program! I look forward to assisting you in any way that I can to ensure your successful degree completion with us here at Yorkville. I grew up on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, and have experience in Student Services and Student Counselling at Acadia University, along with Student Services experience at the College of the North Atlantic in Labrador City, Labrador. I look forward to doing my part in making sure you have the proper support and assistance throughout your program! Please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or by phone at 1 866 – 838 – 6542 ext. 1308! Hello! My name is Lynn Reicker and I have been enjoying working with the Yorkville University Student Services team as a program advisor for MACP students since April 2016! It has been a pleasure connecting with many of you already, and I look forward to “e-meeting” many more students in the near future! I completed my degree at St. Thomas University, and I have previous experience working in both admissions and in student services as a mentor and residence advisor. I love to chat, and I look forward to helping you. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected] or via AskYU)!

Publications Another one of our students has had an article published in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Congratulations to Josette Steel! Read her article in Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment. Steel, J. M. (2016). Tapas acupressure technique (TAT) for reducing stress and increasing self-esteem: A self-study. Energy Psychology: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 8(1), 67-74. Also, Dr. Kimber Shelton is the co-author of the recently released (August 2016) Springer publication, The College and University Counseling Manual: Integrating Essential Services Across the Campus. Dr. Shelton is a licensed psychologist and owner of KLS Counseling & Consulting Services in Dallas, TX. She is also an adjunct professor with Yorkville University’s Masters in Counselling Psychology program. Previously, Dr. Shelton served as a Staff Psychologist and Coordinator of Diversity Programs at The Georgia Institute of Technology Counseling Center. Dr. Shelton is the co-chair of the Texas Psychological Association Diversity Division, a member of the American Psychological Association and has expertise in the areas of cultural diversity, sexual orientation and gender diversity, and relationships. The textbook is available for purchase through Amazon. And, Dr. Lloyd Robertson, a member of our Program Advisory Committee, has also had two recent publications: Robertson, L. H. (2015). The trauma of colonization: A psycho-historical analysis of one aboriginal community in the North American “North-West.” Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 49(3), 317-332. Robertson, L. H. (2016). Self-mapping in counselling: Using memetic maps to enhance client reflectivity and therapeutic efficacy. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 50(3), 332-347.


Some Thoughts on DQs from your Program Advisor Contributed by Lynn Reicker

According to the Power Law of Participation (Mayfield 2006, included below) , YU students participating in Discussion Questions by writing posts are leaning toward high engagement, using collective intelligence. The goal of discussion in Yorkville courses is to increase collaborative intelligence, by having students refactor, collaborate, and explore their potential to lead. In the article below, you will learn the importance of participation in the DQs. A lot of students have been reaching out to me lately regarding discussion questions (DQs). I love sharing my thoughts with students, and providing guidance on this topic. Weekly Discussion Questions are very important, and will continue throughout the program. This is your way to interact with fellow students and your instructors. Although it seems like a big time commitment, try your best to participate and engage with your colleagues. It is important to remember that you should post at least 3 responses to each question, but that 5 is a good number to aim for. It is also good to spread your participation throughout the week. One way you can do this is by posting a response to the discussion question once each weekday (e.g., one on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) or every second day (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday). Although it is always great to read all of the discussion (it opens up new ideas, can help with writing papers, and can create meaningful relationships with your peers) sometimes we are busy, and it may be helpful to skim some of the posts, and reply to the most interesting discussion comments. Remember that one word responses or “cheerleader posts” do not count toward your grade, and although it is great to be friendly and offer a quick word of encouragement to a peer, do not focus on composing a simple reply to each student. Also, avoid writing an essay in your discussion post - feel free to write out a lengthier response to save for an assignment, but then review your post to ensure it is one cohesive thought that is proofread and “fat free” (concise and within the requested word limit). I would also encourage you to take a look at the course syllabus and see how much impact discussion questions have on your mark. Aim for a great grade: DQs can really impact your success in the course, and show your level of participation and engagement. Happy Posting, and see you in the DQs!

In the Media . . . One of our instructors and Course Coordinators, Dr. Michael Sorsdahl, was recently interviewed for the Career Cravings radio show. Listen to the fascinating podcast about Mike’s own career journey: https://www.spreaker.com/user/boldradiostation/helping-others-a-career-worth-fighting-f?utm_medium=widget&utm_source=user%3A6361116&utm_term=episode_title


Webinars Our webinars are expanding beyond the MACP community, with input on November 3 from Dr. Rita Kop, Dean of the Faculty of Education, who presented her award-winning talk, “Creating a Personal Learning Ecosystem.” Watch for the recording; in the meantime, here’s a write up about the paper and the award that was featured on the Yorkville University blog. Yorkville Dean, Rita Kop, Wins Best Paper at Conference in Morocco Yorkville University’s Dean of the Faculty of Education, Rita Kop, recently won the Best Paper Award at the Europe, Middle East and North Africa Conference on Technology and Security to Support Learning (EMENA/TSSL’16). The paper, Creating a Personal Learning Ecosystem: The Double-Edged Sword of Algorithms and Automation to Support Serendipitous Learning, was written by Kop in collaboration with Helene Fournier and Heather Molyneux from the National Research Council of Canada. “Ever since I got involved with technologies for learning I have been fascinated by how they might be used to enhance learning and the learning experience,” Kop explained. “I am also continually looking at where the technology is pushing us as educators.” Kop said she believes technology is pushing us outside the boundaries of institutions and her paper looks at the research and development of a personal learning eco-system outside the institution and what the challenges would be for learners to manage such an environment themselves. The National Research Council of Canada, for instance, is working on such an environment and technologies that might recommend information based on earlier projects of learners and on their personal profile and competencies that they already have. “Clearly there are challenges to overcome; for instance, it would mean that learners might be learning without an instructor and instead use information recommender systems,” Kop explained. “These systems are based on algorithms that might not be the best to make learners think at a deeper level. My idea is that learners will require serendipitous information, not necessarily the exact information, but information with a twist, or information that has been obtained through human filters.” The EMENA/TSSL’16 conference was held in Saïdia, Morocco from October 3 to 5, 2016

Awards and Recognition We’d like to honour some of our wonderful faculty, TAs, staff, and students. If you’d like to nominate someone for exceptional performance, please send his/her name and the reason for your nomination to: [email protected]


MACP Alumna Ashley Kreze Runs Private Practice and Hosts TV Talk Show When Yorkville University Alumna Ashley Kreze started seeing the same questions and concerns bubbling up amongst a certain segment of her clientele it gave her an idea for a television talk show. Now, the show is in its third season and Kreze said it has been a very interesting side project in addition to her professional work in counselling. Kreze, who lives in Vancouver, started her private practice shortly after graduating from Yorkville University’s Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (MACP). She works with individuals seeking greater fulfillment in their lives and is the Clinical Director of Real Life Counselling a psychotherapy, counselling, and life-coaching boutique. In 2013 she had been invited onto Rogers Television to be a guest on a couple of different television shows. At the time she was living about an hour north of Toronto. “Although I always appreciated being a guest I thought the role of being a host was more stimulating for me as I knew it would help me through my own social anxiety but also allow me to create content I felt would be helpful for our viewers,” she said. So Kreze approached RogersTV about the idea of hosting and producing a show that discusses issues relating to the generation known as Millennials, individuals born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s. “I fall into the category of Generation Y and I found in my counselling practice I was working with a lot of Generation Yers who were talking about the same issues of lifestyle; struggling with getting a job, still living at home with their parents, wanting kids, not being able to find a partner,” Kreze said. “Even I had experienced some of these themes in my own life.” RogersTV picked up the idea and It’s All Millennial was born. Kreze filmed the first season in 2014, season 2 in 2015 and recently was back in Ontario to film season 3 of the show. It airs on RogersTV in Peel and even though she has moved out west, she intends to continue with the show when she returns to Ontario. Each episode addresses a topic important to Millennials and she hosts expert guests who share their opinions as well as people with personal experience related to the topic. It’s been an interesting side project that Kreze said she has enjoyed taking on since graduating. Kreze graduated from Yorkville in 2009 and explained she was drawn to the course because it was done online and she could continue to work full time to support her educational goals and dreams. “I feel like the skills that I learned have definitely helped me in private practice and even in my own life,” Kreze said. “I loved the program and highly recommend it to others.” Visit Ashley Kreze at www.reallifecounselling.com, and to follow her on social media visit: Facebook (facebook.com/RealLifeCounselling), Twitter (twitter.com/RLCounselling), Instagram (instagram.com/RLCounselling)


Alumni Successes Graduate featured in Yorkville Video

MACP Alumna Celebrates One Year in Prestigious Role

Kevin Waldbillig graduated from the MACP program in 2012. Watch this brief video to hear him talk about his experience and how it has helped him in his current roles as a Corporate Program Director and Registered Psychotherapist.

Congratulations to Yorkville University alumna Jessica Giroux, who is celebrating one year as a Clinical Manager with Monroe Shepell! “There’s something to be said about the calibre of the students and graduates of Yorkville’s program. The work is hard but the reward is great,” Jessica said.

Upcoming Special Days Susan Sherwood always has a poster at her desk announcing the next “national day.” Here are a few to make you smile:

Thursday, November 3 Sandwich Day

Monday, November 19 Oatmeal Muffin Day

Monday, January 23 National Pie Day

And, of course, we have several other special days coming up, including:

November 11 Remembrance Day

November 24 Thanksgiving (US)

December 12 Prophet’s Birthday

December 25 Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah

January 1 New Year’s Day