A new Indigenous Tools for Living workshop is being offered to help social-service providers, social workers and health-care workers gain the skills required to support clients struggling with emotional and intergenerational trauma in their communities.

“By understanding the trauma and negative impacts of colonization on First Nations peoples, people providing social and health-care services will gain the knowledge required to help members of their communities heal,” said Scott Fraser, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

The Province provided $45,000 to the Northern Society for Domestic Peace to organize and deliver the Indigenous Tools for Living workshops in three northern communities: Smithers, Hazelton and Terrace this fall. Each community will host a five-day workshop led by Elders, local community agencies and Justice Institute of B.C. instructors. The Elders will lead the service providers in learning how to creatively find ways to support clients who are managing emotional and difficult situations.

The workshops include the Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy program, which gives the service providers a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives and practice through hands-on learning that explores the knowledge of collective experiences over time. The program helps restore cultural practices and relationships that historically have promoted wellness in Indigenous cultures and societies by leaning on the Earth and animals.

“Implicit ancestral memory knowledge over generations teaches us when to trust, how to trust and where to move ourselves forward in life,” said Shirley Turcotte, creator of the Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy program. “Intergenerational knowledge about trauma helps direct and inform our interactions and actions so that we may connect with decolonized knowing for the survival and growth for all of life and land; it is our hope in healing past, present and future.”

“Indigenous Tools for Living helps service providers calm their own nervous systems so they can be instrumental in calming our collective nervous system. We are able to get beside trauma in a kind, curious and transformative way, using Indigenous tools for living,” said Belinda Lacombe, Stopping the Violence counsellor.

After successful completion of the five-day workshops, participants will be able to work with clients in a way that is considerate of past trauma and builds confidence handling complex situations. They will be able to put their learned skills into practice in everyday life by helping members of their communities recognize the root of their trauma and recover in a grounded and respectful way.

Quick Facts:

• Indigenous Tools for Living Workshops are clinically supervised and facilitated by Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy instructors and local coaches.
• Each workshop will include three days of teachings and two days of exploring how to apply the new tools in communities and workplaces.

Learn More:

Northern Society for Domestic Peace: http://domesticpeace.ca/

Justice Institute of British Columbia: http://www.jibc.ca/about-jibc

Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy: http://ow.ly/pG3W30kNYMF