The harm experienced by Aboriginal peoples did not stop when the last residential school closed its doors in 1996. The effects of this policy are still felt today and are also inter-generational. Trauma-informed practice is an important tool in providing culturally safe health care to patients and clients who may be experiencing the long term effects of residential schools.
We must all work towards trauma-informed practice and culturally safe care for our patients and clients.
Susan Brown, IH President and CEO
Orange Shirt Day is observed on September 30, a day set aside to remember the harmful legacy of residential schools. This week on the Interior Voices podcast, Aboriginal Mental Wellness Practice Lead Jody Wagner joins hosts Vanessa Mitchell and Kris Murray to discuss Orange Shirt Day and the importance of trauma-informed practice.
Trauma-informed practice recognizes the long term health effects of trauma, seeks to understand where a person is coming from, and creates a safe space for the patient or client.
"Orange Shirt Day is a great example of how to approach trauma from a strengths-based capacity-building place," says Jody. "It can empower people to share and begin to heal from that trauma."
To hear the full conversation and learn more, tune in to the latest episode of Interior Voices.
Tune in to the podcast series
Interior Voices is a podcast that explores the intersection of health and culture in the workplace, everyday lives, and patient care. While it was created to help expand IH staff and physician engagement around cultural safety, many episodes will also interest community members. The series includes interviews with IH staff, physicians, and others living and working in the Interior region.
Learn more …
Check out the resources and concepts discussed in this episode:
- One-And-A-Half Men: The Story of Jim Brady and Malcolm Norris
- Aboriginal Mental Wellness Plan
- Orange Shirt Day website
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Residential school goes from tragedy to triumph (St. Eugene)
- The wisdom of Mary Paul
- Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Kamloops Indian Residential School
- Anahim Lake Dormitory (Ulkatcho) Residential School
- Missing Children and Unmarked Burials report
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Trauma-informed Care Toolkit
- E-mail Jody Wagner
