Culturally Safe, Indigenous-Informed, with Cultural Humility
Trauma therapy that honors and seeks to integrate, your cultural identity, values, and healing traditions.
My Commitment to Cultural Safety
I bring both personal and professional understanding of First Nations and Indigenous communities to my practice. Cultural safety isn't an add-on to my work—it's woven into every aspect of how I provide care.
I recognize that Indigenous peoples have experienced historical and ongoing trauma through colonization, residential schools, systemic discrimination, and cultural genocide. This context shapes mental health in profound ways that Western therapeutic approaches often fail to address.
My approach integrates evidence-based EMDR 2.0 therapy with cultural humility, Indigenous worldviews, and respect for traditional healing practices. Healing happens in community, through connection, and by honoring the wisdom of many different ways of knowing and being.
Cultural Core Values
- •Honoring holistic wellness and the many ways of knowing and being
- •Acknowledgment of land, treaties, and Indigenous sovereignty—we are all treaty people
- •Commitment to ongoing cultural learning and humility
- •Understanding of systemic barriers and discrimination
- •Support for cultural reclamation and identity
- •Honoring and integrating the emphasis and importance of Indigenous languages, styles of communication and role of humor and traditional teachings
Understanding Indigenous-Specific Trauma
Indigenous peoples face unique forms of trauma that require culturally-informed understanding and treatment approaches.
Historical & Intergenerational Trauma
Trauma passed down through generations from residential schools, forced relocation, cultural suppression, and family separation.
Residential School Trauma
The legacy of residential schools continues to impact survivors and their descendants through attachment disruption and complex PTSD.
Systemic & Institutional Trauma
Ongoing discrimination, over-policing, child welfare involvement, and systemic barriers create cumulative trauma and mistrust.
Cultural Disconnection
Loss of language, traditional practices, and spiritual connection creates identity wounds often missed by Western therapy.
Community & Family Trauma
High rates of violence, addiction, and loss within communities create collective grief and ongoing exposure to trauma.
Environmental & Land-Based Trauma
Disconnection from traditional territories and loss of land-based practices disrupts spiritual and cultural wellness.
How I Integrate Cultural Safety into Practice
Holistic Wellness Framework
I honor Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being, a high context understanding of wellness—mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health are interconnected, not just in the individual, but as a family, extended family and community, further as a Nation, and a Language group.
EMDR 2.0 attempts to address all four quadrants, different Ways of Knowing and Being, and all aspects of a High Context Culture where highly integrated and complex networks of relationships can create both demand and offer resources for the individual. We look at more than just psychological symptoms.
Mental
Cognitive processing, thought patterns, and beliefs.
Physical
Somatic trauma release and body-based healing.
Emotional
Emotional regulation and grief work.
Spiritual
Honoring spiritual beliefs and ancestral connection and guidance.
Culturally-Adapted Protocols
- Relational Approach: Therapy is collaborative, not hierarchical. You are the expert on your own experience.
- Community Connection: I support involvement of family, Elders, or community members in your healing journey.
- Traditional Practices: I respect and support the integration of smudging, ceremony, and traditional medicine.
- Storytelling: Recognizing oral tradition, I welcome storytelling as a healing modality.
- Historical Context: Understanding that personal trauma is inseparable from historical and systemic trauma.
- Strengths-Based: Honoring resilience, survival, and the strength of Indigenous identity.
Land Acknowledgment
I acknowledge that the lands where I live and provide services—Saskatchewan and Alberta—are the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous nations including the Cree, Dene, Saulteaux, Nakota, Lakota, Dakota, Blackfoot, Métis, and Inuit peoples.
I honor the treaties and commit to my role with humility as being part of the broader Treaty lands and peoples. I recognize my responsibility to contribute to reconciliation through respectful, culturally-safe mental health care that supports Indigenous healing and wellness.
Begin Your Healing Journey
Book a free consultation to discuss how EMDR 2.0 therapy can support your healing while honoring your cultural identity.
Schedule Free Consultation