Reconnecting with their roots has proven to be most transformative for Indigenous youth struggling with mental health - so what would land-based mental health and addictions treatment look like?
Mental-health systems often try to treat patients with the same techniques. However, not all strategies work for everyone. This is where we find land-based treatment, an Indigenous approach to mental health, unlike what is generally prescribed to people in need. Land-based treatment, stemming from traditional knowledge, focuses on the power of nature to heal and re-centre an individual.
How does it work? What can Indigenous concepts of wellness teach us about healing? What does success mean for youth coming out the other side of mental-health challenges? And why would some communities benefit from something different than the Western approach to mental-health treatment?
In the final episode of “In Our Heads,” host Tiffany Lam reports on how cultural competence in mental-health care can affect health outcomes. The episode features a graduate from Gwekwaadziwin Miikan on Manitoulin Island, a publicly funded, land-based mental health and addiction program for young adults between the ages of 19 and 29.
Read the transcript here: https://www.tvo.org/article/how-to-heal-with-the-land
***
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support:
Wellness Together Canada
https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA
To connect with a mental health professional one-on-one:
- call 1-888-668-6810 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth
- call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults
Kids Help Phone
Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.
The Government of Ontario’s Mental Health Support Resources
https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support
--
Stay up to date with what’s happening in Ontario: https://www.tvo.org/
Donate to TVO: http://tvo.org/give
Listen to other TVO podcasts: https://www.tvo.org/podcasts
Follow TVO on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetvo/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tvo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVO
Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters
Get the TVO Today app:
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&p
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
