Searching for Traditional Indigenous Healing And Wellness

Provides services and support for individuals and families struggling with addiction issues

• Offers Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings when required
• Provides transportation to all meetings and workshops upon request

Prevention

• Provides public seminars/meetings to raise community awareness of problematic alcohol, drug use and gambling
• Holds educational sessions in schools
• Coordinates cultural and spiritual events

Intervention

• Facilitates recreational activities and social events
• Provides individual and group discussions
• Offers cultural and spiritual gatherings

Aftercare Services

Provides the following services aimed at preventing problematic alcohol and drug use problems from reoccurring:

• Counselling, sharing circles and support groups
• Regular phone calls and home visits
• Referrals to Band services, social services, detoxification and treatment centres and medical assistance

• Focus is on improving the overall health and well-being of communities and to empower families to build healthy relationships
• Works to eliminate family violence, the number of youth involved in the justice system and the number of children in care

Activities and programs provided can include but are not limited to the following:

• Activities that revitalize Native language
• Alcohol and drug abuse prevention and intervention
• Community events such as feasts
• Family circles, counselling and child/youth support groups
• Referrals to other programs and services
• School programs
• Traditional land-based healing events

• Offers community based family counselling for children, teens, men, women and families as a group
• Provides assessments and case management services
• Provides services of traditional healers
• Offers community workshops to raise awareness of issues affecting families including substance abuse and family violence
• Supports community initiatives that promote family healing such as traditional gatherings

Also offers the following family support services including but not limited to:

• Advocacy and referral to external agencies
• Assistance in the planning of child's and family's needs
• Emergency financial assistance for basic needs only in cases where the welfare of child/children is at-risk
• Home visitation arrangements and supervison to enable parents to visit with their children living in alternative care

Provides services and support for individuals and families struggling with addiction issues

• Offers Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings when required
• Provides transportation to all meetings and workshops upon request

Prevention

• Provides public seminars/meetings to raise community awareness of problematic alcohol and drug abuse and gambling addictions
• Holds educational sessions in schools
• Coordinates cultural and spiritual events

Intervention

• Facilitates recreational activities and social events
• Provides individual and group discussions
• Offers cultural and spiritual gatherings

Aftercare: provided for preventing reoccurrence:

• Counselling, sharing circles and support groups
• Regular phone calls and home visits
• Referrals to band services, social services, detoxification and treatment centres and medical assistance

• Functions as a withdrawal management and problematic alcohol/substance use treatment centre
• Offers a 28-day land-based program in an eight-bed co-ed residential treatment facility (also offers two detoxification beds)
• Addresses the needs of an individual's spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being
• Assists individual to gain an understanding of how abuse, relationship dynamics, problematic alcohol and substance use issues, self-destructive behavior and family violence affects their life
• Supports individual through a journey of self and includes components such as detoxification, stabilization, introductions to food, exercise, and cultural activities and healing practices

Services and programs include but are not limited to:

• Assessment and treatment planning
• Medically-supervised detoxification
• Individual/group counselling
• Nutrition information and guidance
• Cultural/recreational activities such as fishing, trapping, snowshoeing, and medicine picking
• Health services
• Aftercare planning and follow-up
• Relapse prevention

Works to address the needs and to improve the in-hospital experience of Indigenous individuals and families

Services include but are not limited to:

• Advocacy for the client
• Coordinate for language translation if needed
• Assistance for in-hospital patients to understand what is happening
• In-hospital visiting
• Arrange for cultural requests such as smudging, traditional medicines, and offering tobacco
• Arrange for Elders, Healers and Knowledge Keepers upon patient request
• Liaise with health representatives such as Community Health Nurses and Health Directors at Band level
• Assistance with hospital discharge and out-of-hospital follow-up and support

Provides a primary health care clinic for Indigenous individuals and families

• Coordinates professional services through Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses, Health Educators, Registered Dietitian, Mental Health worker and Traditional Ojibway healers
• Offers culturally appropriate programs and services combining traditional healing methods and Western medical practices
• Provides treatment of illnesses and chronic disease management
• Provides referrals to other service providers and specialists
• Performs some diagnostic procedures including electrocardiograms and specimen collection
• Publishes a monthly newsletter available online
• Collaborates with Riverside Health Care Facilities and Fort Frances Family Health Team for consultations, diagnostic imaging and laboratory analysis
• Administers various health-related programs

• Provides individuals with access to a full range of traditional healing practices
• Coordinates referrals for visits to Traditional Healers
• Maintains resources on local area elders and healers
• Provides education on traditional healing methods

Some activities offered are:

• Aboriginal weekly craft group
• Attendance at local First Nations health fairs
• Cultural education in local schools
• Elder visits and ceremonies at Rainycrest Home for the Aged
• Spring medicine walk

Supports reduction or prevention of family and community violence

• Provides victim service referrals and emergency support for family violence
• Works one-on-one with families experiencing family violence to develop a plan of action for identified concerns
• Provides referrals to counselling, legal services, and treatment centres
• Offers Indigenous culture-based healing, self-help processes for anger management, and positive self-image development; alternative discipline methods and positive relationships
• Organizes and facilitates community events in schools, powwows, and health fairs to promote a healthy lifestyle and prevention of family violence
• Develops programs, workshops, promotions, and prevention education campaigns dealing with family-based violence awareness

Offers a variety of programs and services to address the health and wellness of families and community environment

• Focuses on mental health crises and youth solvent abuse
• Works to develop community-based approaches to address mental health and addictions issues
• Provides initiatives to address homicide, suicide and family violence
• Addresses the early stages of child development with a focus on helping them to reach their full potential

Services include:

• Assessments
• Counselling services (individual and family)
• Referrals for treatment and follow-up treatment
• Aftercare

Works to develop community-based approaches to address mental health and addictions issues

• Focuses on prevention of suicide and solvent abuse
• Offers community education and awareness activities

Services include:

• Assessments
• Counselling services (individual and family)
• Referrals for treatment and follow-up treatment
• Aftercare

Provides services and support for individuals and families struggling with problematic alcohol and substance use, and gambling issues

• Offers Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings when required
• Provides transportation to all meetings and workshops upon request

Prevention

• Provides public seminars/meetings to raise community awareness of problematic alcohol and substance use, and gambling issues
• Holds educational sessions in schools
• Coordinates cultural and spiritual events

Intervention

• Facilitates recreational activities and social events
• Provides individual and group discussions
• Offers cultural and spiritual gatherings

Aftercare provided for preventing reoccurrence:

• Counselling, sharing circles and support groups
• Regular phone calls and home visits
• Referrals to Band services, social services, detoxification and treatment centres and medical assistance

• Focus is on improving the overall health and well-being of communities and to empower families to build healthy relationships
• Works to eliminate family violence, the number of youth involved in the justice system and the number of children in care

Activities and programs provided can include but are not limited to the following:

• Activities that revitalize Native language
• Alcohol and drug abuse prevention and intervention
• Community events such as feasts
• Family circles, counselling and child/youth support groups
• Referrals to other programs and services
• School programs
• Traditional land-based healing events

Provides services and support for individuals and families struggling with addiction issues

• Offers Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings when required
• Provides transportation to all meetings and workshops upon request

Prevention

• Provides public seminars/meetings to raise community awareness of problematic alcohol, drug use and gambling
• Holds educational sessions in schools
• Coordinates cultural and spiritual events

Intervention

• Facilitates recreational activities and social events
• Provides individual and group discussions
• Offers cultural and spiritual gatherings

Aftercare provided for preventing reoccurrence:

• Counselling, sharing circles and support groups
• Regular phone calls and home visits
• Referrals to Band services, social services, detoxification and treatment centres and medical assistance

Delivers child care and protection services and family support services to community members

• Administers services for Weechi-it-te-Win Family Services, a mandated Native Child Welfare Agency in Fort Frances
• Partners with community police officers and local nursing staff to identify and support troubled families

Alternative Care Program

• Provides assistance and support to children in care
• Coordinates recruitment and maintenance of alternative care homes including completion of home studies
• Provides training for child care providers
• Offers support and guidance in reuniting siblings who are/have been part of the foster care system

Prevention Services

• Teaches parenting skills and assisting children through difficult times
• Develops and administers healthy social and recreational programs for families
• Hosts community forums to address issues such as youth struggling with problematic substance use, inadequate housing, schooling problems and after school activities
• Organizes elders meetings that address traditional child rearing methods
• Provides information sessions about understanding substance dependency and resulting family violence, and overcoming oppression by understanding cultural realities

Repatriation Services

• Processes requests to have children in external foster care brought back to homes within the community
• Provides advocacy on behalf of the child and family

Outreach Services

• Provides the option to children adopted by outside families to discover their birth family and heritage
• Provides records and information to Tribal Agency and external resources

Works to develop community-based approaches to address mental health and addictions issues

• Focuses on prevention of suicide and solvent abuse
• Offers community education and awareness activities

Services include:

• Assessments
• Counselling services (individual and family)
• Referrals for treatment and follow-up treatment
• Aftercare

Provides services and support for individuals and families struggling with addiction issues

• Offers Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings when required

Prevention

• Provides public seminars/meetings to raise community awareness of problematic alcohol and substance use and gambling issues
• Holds educational sessions in schools
• Coordinates cultural and spiritual events

Intervention

• Facilitates recreational activities and social events
• Provides individual and group discussions
• Offers cultural and spiritual gatherings

Aftercare provided for preventing reoccurrence:

• Counselling, sharing circles and support groups
• Referrals to band services, social services, detoxification and treatment centres and medical assistance

Provides culturally appropriate education, programs and support to improve the health of Indigenous women and their babies

• Gives presentations on prenatal and postnatal health and healthy life choices
• Arranges home and hospital visits from prenatal worker
• Plans and supervises exercise groups for pre/postnatal women
• Provides aquafit vouchers

Baby and Me

• Provides group support through weekly talking and sharing circles
• Encourages relating personal experiences
• Offers guest speakers occasionally to talk on related topics

Breastfeeding Program

• Provides information and instruction concerning appropriate techniques for nursing an infant for expectant parents or new mothers
• Loans out breastfeeding pumps and other related equipment

Cooking Together

• Provides a weekly lunch program; families plan, prepare and eat a healthy meal together
• Provides grocery budgeting and shopping advice

Fruit Basket

• Provides fruit/vegetable vouchers and vitamin supplements to enhance healthy pregnancy
• Provides child care for one hour per week for any reason
• Provides an informal afternoon of socialization, information sharing and to pick up fruit baskets and vegetable vouchers

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) initiative to assist each Indigenous community to design and deliver their own holistic, prevention-focused services/programs and cultural supports to promote a healthy community and support families as needed in the community

• Focus is on improving the overall health and well-being of communities and to empower families to build healthy relationships
• Works to eliminate family violence, the number of youth involved in the justice system and the number of children in care

Activities and programs provided can include but are not limited to the following:

• Activities that revitalize Native language
• Problematic alcohol and substance use prevention and intervention
• Community events such as feasts
• Family circles, counselling and child/youth support groups
• Referrals to other programs and services
• School programs
• Traditional land-based healing events

Operates as a program under the Healing and Wellness Branch

• Promotes healthy lifestyles through culturally based programs and healing
• Aims to reduce family violence

Provides assistance for individuals to identify areas of concern and to develop action plans to address concerns through the following:

• Sharing of appropriate information with related health and social agencies and providing referrals
• Crisis intervention education and workshops
• Illness prevention and wellness planning, information and education
• Traditional sharing circles
• Community outreach education to promote cultural awareness

Also provides:

• Assistance with completing forms of any kind
• Accessing existing programs and services
• Peer counselling for any identified concerns