who we are and what we’re about
About Our Group
The Social Justice and Human Rights (SJHR) Council is a team of students and faculty in Clinical Psychology at the University of Victoria. Our group was founded by Dr. Cathy Costigan in 2011 as one of her initial actions as the Director of Clinical Training. Our group’s composition changes yearly, comprising students across all years of the program and faculty at all stages of their careers.
Our group is responding to an urgent need to integrate social justice perspectives, cultural humility, and safety into our training programs and professional psychology practice. Our goal is to facilitate greater understanding among practicing psychologists and psychologists-in-training of how the profession has participated in systems of oppression and how the field can move toward research and professional practice that is grounded in anti-oppressive values and that promotes justice for equity-seeking groups.
Who We Are
Current Members
Our current members are: Alison Chung, Alice Shen, Cathy Costigan, Jodie Gawryluk, Heather Kwan, Jessica Yijia Li, Erin Light, Emilie Longtin, Sean Morgan, Baeleigh VanderZwaag, Haley Keenan, Jessica Ryan, Heba Elgharbawy, Kevin Styba-Nelson, Barbie Jain, Lillea Hohn, Geneva Mason, Hayley Casey, McKenna Knox and Erica Woodin.
Our group welcomes any UVic Clinical Psychology students or faculty who would like to join our advocacy efforts. Please contact Dr. Costigan if you would like to become a member of the SJHR Council.
What we’ve been up to
Our Initiatives So Far
Inviting Experts in the Field
The SJHR Council has invited experts to speak at our Clinical Psychology Colloquium. Our distinguished guests have included Dr. Jennifer Mullan, who presented on Decolonizing Psychology, and Dr. Joseph Gone, who presented on Pursuing Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation.
Engaging with Community
This year we have been reaching out to connect and support community organizations. We are interested in continuing to build community and if you or a local organization are looking to foster relationships we would welcome you to be in touch.
Advocating for Better Care of Current and Future Clients
Learning about personal and systemic biases and reflecting on one’s power as a trainee or practicing psychologist is crucial for fostering more equitable and unbiased support for clients. By enhancing the education and resources available to clinical psychology training programs, we can promote cultural competence and inclusivity, build trust and rapport with groups with past and current mistreatment by the profession of psychology, and create opportunities to challenge systemic inequalities that disproportionally impact our clients in practical ways.
Providing Learning Opportunities to Trainees and Practicing Psychologists
Our group has presented on topics that we believe address gaps in the training for future psychologists, and that also provide continuing education opportunities for already practicing psychologists in the community. Most recently, our SJHR Council members Sean Morgan, Heather Kwan, and Dr. Cathy Costigan presented on Navigating Brave Spaces and Multicultural Supervision.
Get in Touch
Contact and Additional Information
Address
Department of Psychology
Cornett Building A236
University of Victoria
Victoria, BC
Contact Dr. Costigan
costigan@uvic.ca