|
|
With the appointments of Dr. William (Bill) Mc Ghee and Dr. Rita Knodel to UVic counselling services, a position created by a retirement has been filled and a new post created. The new position filled by Mc Ghee is intended to serve the particular needs of First Nations students attending UVic. Mc Ghee, who is of the Cherokee Nation, will devote one-half of his counselling time to working with First Nations students. He comes to UVic from a one-year doctoral internship at the University of Calgary's counselling services, where he was hired after completing a PhD in psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. He was the 1997 winner of the Michael Smith Disability Award for outstanding achievement in advancing the rights of those with disabilities. While earning his doctorate, Mc Ghee was also a community program counsellor with the Upward Bound/Vision Quest program at the University of Minnesota. Through this and other tribal government programs he acquired extensive experience counselling First Nations people in the U.S., and looks forward to continuing this work at UVic. "I'm glad there's a focus on First Nations counselling at UVic and that it's not being ignored," Mc Ghee says. "There are issues that could be overlooked, such as grief and loss experienced by First Nations students, issues to which faculty may sometimes not be attentive." Knodel joins UVic after working as a registered psychologist in Victoria. She holds a PhD in counselling psychology from the University of Alberta and an MA from UBC where she also completed a year's internship in 1992-93. Her areas of focus in counselling include individual counselling, marital/relationship counselling, women's issues, cross-cultural sensitivity, career counselling and crisis intervention. At UVic counselling services she'll provide individual counselling, contribute to the Learning Skills program, and lead groups such as this fall's "Surviving Relationship Breakdown" for students. In addition to running a private practice in Victoria, Knodel has been doing employee assistance counselling for a private firm and working as an education counsellor at Malaspina University College. She's a member of the British Columbia Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association and an associate member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
|
