“All my relations”: experiences and perceptions of Indigenous patients connecting with Indigenous Elders in an inner city primary care partnership for mental health and well-being

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mental health services in urban settings generally have not been adapted to serve the needs of Indigenous patients. We explored how patients' encounters with Indigenous Elders affected their overall mental health and well-being to identify therapeutic mechanisms underlying improvement.

Wîcohkamakew – A qualitative description of parents, perinatal clinic staff, and mentor Elders experiences of a Nêhiyawi (Cree) community-derived Elders Mentoring Program: Findings from the ENRICH study

“…In our study, healthcare staff also recognized the critical importance of cultural connectedness for the health and wellbeing of many of their Indigenous patients, and welcomed the opportunity for Elders to be the facilitators of culture within the clinic. Our findings add to those of others suggesting positive associations between cultural connectedness and Indigenous health, wellbeing, healing, self-determination, belonging, knowledge, empowerment and self-esteem, and identity [21,23,[34][35][36][37]. Cultural interventions in relation to mental health and addictions have been studied far more in comparison to other health conditions, particularly pregnancy-related health.…”

“The land is a healer”: Perspectives on land-based healing from Indigenous practitioners in northern Canada

“…Many of the cultural counsellors and Elders involved in these programs are in high demand in their respective communities, but not recognized as professionals by mainstream counselling organizations or licensing authorities. This study supports a call for the equitable inclusion of cultural counsellors in the strategy to improve care of Indigenous clients in the Canadian health care system (Hadjipavlou et al, 2018). Land-based interventions have the potential to draw on local strengths and keep people who need help close to home, instead of being sent to larger communities for mental health services (GNWT, 2014).…”

“…The narratives presented highlight the concern that mental health service provision still operates in a westerndominated discourse, compartmentalizing services and creating a narrow view of mental health, and more specifically what practices are considered counselling and therapy (Hadjipavlou et al, 2018). This discourse is largely defined by western understandings of mental health and the language of evidence-based practice (EBP), which is still so often interpreted as empirically supported treatments (Carter & Goodheart, 2012;Laska et al, 2014).…”

“…This would continue to build on the ground-breaking work in recognizing the potential of Indigenous-led mental health solutions by many organizations, including the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, and initiatives such as the Northwest Territories on the Land Collaborative. Creating opportunities and spaces for "land-making" within urban centres (Hatala et al, 2019) and land-based connection within counselling sessions or treatment programs are recommended as culturally relevant sources of therapy and resilience (Hadjipavlou et al, 2018;Stewart, 2008). Further research is recommended in order to increase our collective understanding and renegotiate the terminology and working definitions proposed for cross-cultural dialogue across Turtle Island 3 , keeping in mind the rich diversity within Indigenous communities.…”

"Healing on Both Sides": Strengthening the Effectiveness of Prison–Indigenous Community Partnerships Through Reciprocity and Investment

“…For example, studies have shown the potential of peer groups to reduce feelings of loneliness and hopelessness (Brown & Day, 2008), and prison visitation has been shown to improve mental health and reduce recidivism (Albertie et al, 2017;De Claire & Dixon, 2015;Duwe & Johnson, 2016). For Indigenous Peoples, ongoing relationships with Elders has immense benefits (Hadjipavlou et al, 2018;Tu et al, 2019;Waldram, 1997), including those who are incarcerated (Willis & Moore, 2008). Indigenous youth with previous engagement with the colonial justice system have been found to benefit from youth-specific programming in which they engaged with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, value systems, and culture, which were found to enhance feelings of pride in cultures and identities (Hansen, 2015).…”