Sandra Dixon

• Phd
• Professor Associate at University of Lethbridge

The Heuristic Inquiry (HI) qualitative method applied in this study explored the role of Pentecostal faith in the post-migration lived experiences of Jamaican Canadian immigrant women (JCIW). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven JCIW whose Pentecostal faith helped them to reconstruct their cultural identity post-migration. The creat...

This article explores the impact of racial trauma on the mental health and well-being of Black Canadians. The authors posit that it is an ethical imperative that all practitioners need to become informed and culturally competent of the realities experienced by Black Canadians. Next, the authors propose using an Afrocentric theoretical model/framewo...

Though reflectivity and reflexivity are often perceived as similar concepts with overlaps they both have variations and need to be understood as unique constructs with different manifestations within the field of counselling psychology. Both terms are relevant to the counselling profession; they play a role in how we as counselling psychologists pr...

This chapter explores the Africentric framework, a culturally centred approach to understanding the experiences of African and African diasporic individuals. Guided by Ubuntu, an African worldview that emphasizes cooperation, connectedness, and consciousness, the Africentric framework offers a holistic understanding of mental health care that prior...

In Canada's multicultural society, faith plays a vital role in the lives of many immigrants. However, mental health professionals (MHPs) often overlook or disregard immigrant clients' spiritual and religious beliefs, despite their potential impact on mental health and coping mechanisms. To address this gap, this qualitative study sought to explore...

Immigration to Canada brings cultural diversity, but also stressors and challenges that impact mental well-being. Spirituality recognizes the profound significance of relational knowing, manifesting in external appreciation for meaningful experiences with others that provide purpose. Despite the importance of faith in many immigrants' lives, mental...

In a growing multicultural Canadian society that should strive to honor and respect the pluralistic cultural worldviews of all people, many Black Canadians struggle to cope with the social determinants of health (SDOH). For the purpose of this paper, SDOH refers to the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, worship, and age (Salami...

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, higher education systems and institutions around the world rapidly moved significant portions of their learning to a variety of remote learning models. These shifts to online learning impacted how institutions support equitable student access and success and intersected with other key initiatives to supp...

This chapter, “What We Do Today Will Change What Happens Tomorrow: Learnings from University Teaching during COVID-19 for Post-Pandemic Times,” explores the rapid shift to emergency online teaching at a university due to COVID-19, reflecting on the profound impacts on educators’ roles and pedagogical practices. Through a mixed-methods study includi...

Diverse women continue to be unrepresented in academia. Institutional structures and governance are strongly influenced by Eurocentric and androcentric worldviews. These ideologies construct, maintain, and legitimize biases, affecting the career progression of diverse academic women in senior leadership positions. This paper uses the intersectional...

Dr. Sandra Dixon is a registered psychologist, an award-winning researcher and an associate professor in the University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education. She is also a woman of colour in a predominantly white post-secondary landscape where colonial ideas are privileged over alternative ways of knowing and being. Dixon’s research encompasses cul...

With Canada’s growing population, counsellors are challenged to work alongside diverse racialized children and families of faith within this increasingly complex cultural milieu. This is particularly in the province of Alberta where a fast demographic growth and increase in faith groups is being experienced. The Culture-Infused Counselling (CIC) mo...

This paper aims to shed light on the Tree of Life (ToL) model, which is an effective intervention tool when working with racialized groups. The origin of the model is briefly addressed to understand its historical context. Next, we discuss the theoretical framework and therapeutic approach that informs this intervention. Key tenets of the model are...

This article advocates for adopting a decolonized attitude when providing professional services to allow for the prioritizing of Black perspectives, history, culture, and scholarship. The authors provide ethical considerations for psychology to foster a more inclusive discipline.

There is a general reluctance to confront the pervasive reality of anti-Black racism that further produces false narratives of inequities in the healthcare system relative to Black communities, especially in Western countries, including Canada. Despite Canada’s orientation towards an anti-Black racist agenda that aims to acknowledge the social dete...

This article explores challenges in multicultural counselling practice relative to diverse clients. The authors first highlight the importance of multiculturalism as a counselling competency. They then discuss utilizing culturally responsive interventions when providing care to racialized groups. Lastly, ethical considerations are outlined in multi...

Experts share why practitioners should consider making space for religion and spiritual issues in therapy and how to foster openness to learn together

Canada’s multicultural society is one of growing diversity. In recent years, however, the narratives of non-dominant groups, particularly Black Canadian women (BCW), have been pushed to the margins of society. This poem aims to shed light on our truths as we reclaim our voices as BCW who deserves our humanity.

In this article, the author argues that evidence-based practice (EBP) and practice-based evidence (PBE) models/approaches should work together and move towards complementarity because they both have great value in research and practice. In the context of this article, complementarity is drawn from Ellis's (2015) work which refers to "ways in which...

There is much to learn about how immigrants describe their experiences of faith in the counselling context while negotiating meaningful relationships with mental health professionals (MHPs). Here, MHPs refer to individuals in the helping profession who provide services to immigrant clients such as social workers, psychologists, clinicians, practiti...

This article aims to shed light on the importance of self-wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic for practitioners. Key strategies will also be provided for practitioners to consider as they navigate the uncertainties and disruptions caused by the pandemic, to enable them to adapt and thrive in the culture of a new normal. __________________________...

The rise of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the field of education forever. However, for many instructors, teaching online can be quite daunting, a feeling that heightened during the emergency of the pandemic. Though online learning has brought many challenges, it can be a beneficial tool for many graduate students to expan...

In this article, attention is given to the key role that Pentecostal faith plays in the cultural identity reconstruction process of some Jamaican Canadian immigrant women. For many immigrant groups, religious faith represents an anchor of hope for coping with post-migration life stressors. Although, once emotionally caged in a new socio-cultural lo...

In this article, attention is given to the key role that Pentecostal faith plays in the cultural identity reconstruction process of some Jamaican Canadian immigrant women. For many immigrant groups, religious faith represents an anchor of hope for coping with post-migration life stressors. Although, once emotionally caged in a new socio-cultural lo...

This chapter contributes to the discourse of Christian healing traditions and health, referencing particularly the mental health field. It considers the historical and philosophical perspectives of Christen healing, adumbrating an epistemological framework or axiomatic foundation and boundary conditions for knowledge claims in discussing healing in...

Invited interview to discuss my research: Faculty of Education Wellness Initiative: Supporting a Focus on Health and Well-being. University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education.

Invited interview to discuss Open Education Resource projects.

Invited Interview to discuss my teaching.

While the field of health psychology has progressed over the years, much work still needs to be done when considering immigrants' health care and well-being. Particularly, for African-Caribbean immigrants, the intersectionality of their cultural identities in the health care system require much attention moving forward. Therefore, this article is p...

Invited interview to share my research for the Legacy Magazine, University of Lethbridge Faculty of Education.

There are a growing number of immigrants relocating to new countries and sociocultural contexts. African-Caribbean immigrants represent a large population who often rely on their spiritual and religious faith practices, such as Pentecostalism, to navigate post-migration stressors. For many of these immigrants, the historical roots of slavery, colon...

Neurotheology examines the relationship between religious, spiritual, and/or mystical experiences (RSMEs) and brain functioning. Attending to this relationship may increase counseling professionals' competency in addressing their clients' religious concerns. This article offers a brief overview of the interaction between neuroscience and religion;...

The Pentecostal worship tradition has been a neglected topic in literature on religious diversity. This tradition, including the practice of speaking in tongues (glossolalia), plays an essential role in the lives of Black Pentecostals. The goal of this paper is to acknowledge the importance of worship practices in the formation of religious and spi...

The Practice of Collaborative Counseling and Psychotherapy: Developing Skills in Culturally Mindful Helping encourages active learning for readers by using reflections, vignettes, discussions, chapter summaries, and experiential exercises. Each story-like chapter is laden with rich insights on the counsellor-client relationship that is informed by...