Jen is a BC-based Indigenous Behaviour Consultant. Her traditional name is Echoes of the Raven Woman, Cistawesin Kahkakiwswew—which was gifted to her in ceremony with a cherished healer.
She is of mixed ancestry, Métis/Cree on her dad’s side and English on her mum’s. She currently resides on the traditional unceded territories of the Kwantlen and Katzie First Nations in Maple Ridge. Jen is passionate about incorporating the Indigenous Way of Knowing into her practice with children who are First Nations, Métis, or Inuit and being an advocate for decolonizing therapeutic practices and systems we work within so-called Canada.
Jen has completed her Master of Education in Digital, Online and Distance Education at Athabasca University, her Applied Behaviour Analysis coursework through the Florida Institute of Technology, and is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA). She considers herself a lifelong learner, with a current focus on learning from and with the neurodivergent community, collaboration on mental health supports, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and trauma-informed practices. Jen’s approach places an emphasis on a holistic framework, parent-led supports, active collaboration, and naturalistic and child-led teaching.
Jen has worked supporting neurodivergent children and adults since 2012 in a variety of roles and settings including home-based programs, clinic-based programs, in schools, residential settings, adult day programs, youth group homes, sports programs and supported child development programs both in BC and in the Northwest Territories. Jen has presented on the topics of culturally relevant supports within Indigenous communities, Truth and Reconciliation within clinical practices, Indigenous Research Methods and decolonizing ABA at conferences in BC, online and for University classes. Jen provides behaviour consulting services in the areas of the Lower Mainland, the lower Fraser Valley, mid-southern part of Vancouver Island and online.
Sessions
Supporting Indigenous Clients and Families Through a Cultural Lens
Wednesday October 30th, 2024 @ 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Working within Indigenous Communities asks for us to step outside of our “professional self”, the hierarchy and the system of our science, and return to our complete human self- spirit, emotion and all.
We are all created in beauty and are a gift to the world. Most people come to the helping professions with a strong desire for connection and relationships with others. At times the limits of our profession, our training and how our science is commonly applied, can muddy these waters for us. We are asked to act in a particular way on behalf of the systems we represent. In my experience in the world as an Indigenous person, when we limit ourselves to this lens, this is not our best starting point and this is not walking in this world in a good way. This presentation will look at the power of our origin stories within the field of ABA, the continued impacts of colonization and colonialism within our field, indigenous perspectives on strengths and protective factors, and working as ABA professionals alongside Indigenous clients at the levels of the individual, the family, the community, and the Nation in a decolonized and culturally responsive way.
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