Faculty Profile - Jeffrey More
Jeffrey More is grateful to be a guest in unceded Syilx territory and is excited and motivated to work with the community, students, and UBCO faculty and staff. He joins the School of Social Work after four years as a lecturer and assistant teaching professor in the School of Social Work and Human Services at Thompson Rivers University (TRU). His teaching there concentrated on anti-colonial social work, inclusive direct practice, trauma-informed practice, and field education. Jeffrey was an integral part of founding an Elders Advisory Council to inform the social work program and contributed to developing institution-wide learning outcomes for Indigenous knowledge and ways.
Previous to entering the academic environment, Jeffrey practiced for over two and a half decades, with the last 14 years in private practice as a consultant and providing clinical wellness support. Based in unceded Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc territory (Kamloops, BC), the roles were primarily with small urban and rural Indigenous communities and healing initiatives in the interior of BC, Vancouver Island, and Nunavut. Before entering private practice, Jeffrey held salary counsellor positions at Round Lake Treatment Centre, Scw’exmx Child and Family Services, and Secwépemc Child and Family Services. His career in the social work field began in 1995 in child protection at Nlha’7kapmx Child and Family Services.
Jeffrey maintains his commitment to direct contributions to communities by providing wellness support to community members and leadership during crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and locating the unmarked graves of residential school children. Most often, this is community-directed practice with support through First Nations Health Authority.
Jeffrey’s teaching and pedagogy focus is on disseminating the experience and knowledge attained in practice. He is passionate about the praxis process, which in his approach, translates western and Indigenous practice knowledge and realities into direct practice. He will be bringing this devotion to the classroom, which during his initial year at UBC, will be in the courses concentrating on advanced clinical social work theory and practice and anti-colonial social work practice.
Jeffrey’s research collaborations and intentions, including his current participation in a Ph.D., in social work at Memorial University, strive to progress social work practice. Since 2015, this has involved maintaining an associate role with UBCO’s Centre for the Study of Services to Children and Families, as the Centre focuses on research to produce practice excellence.
An essential aspect of Jeffrey’s teaching, research, and practice is privileging Indigenous knowledge and processes and recognizing each nation is distinct and unique. He ensures the inclusion of this sophisticated knowledge when it is publicly available. He works to eliminate settler-colonialism and systemic racism towards Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Jeffrey’s upbringing is the foundation of his beliefs, awareness, and intentions, which he brings to UBCO. Although colonial processes and family coping responses have restricted he and his maternal family from knowing their specific Kanienʼkehá꞉ka (Mohawk) community, Jeffrey was raised in an environment surrounded by Indigenous leaders who conveyed their nation’s distinct knowledge through stories and language, food, and ceremony.
Jeffrey has two adult children who are from Sxwetsmèllp, a part of Adams Lake Band in the Secwepemc nation. They are busy following their paths, so they will not be joining him in Kelowna. He anticipates they and his large extended family will frequently be visiting he and his partner, Louise.
