Indigenous Mental Health Resources
The news this week of the systematic genocide of 215 children at the former Indian Residential School in Kamloops, BC, is heartwrenching and horrific. Wear your orange shirt this Monday to honor and remember these children and all the children lost at residential schools in Canada.
Residential schools were institutions set up by the Canadian government starting in the 1880s, where Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and families and required to attend. These schools were run by churches and used to assimilate Indigenous children into “white”, Christian society and ways of living. At the hands of those running each school, these children were made to endure physical, emotional, mental, psychological, and sexual abuse and trauma. This was a cultural genocide by the Canadian government, as an attempt to erase and assimilate Indigenous customs and culture. The impacts of Indian Residential Schools still continue to affect Indigenous peoples today through intergenerational trauma and remembrance. (credit to: “The Residential School System” by Erin Hanson (2009), and updated by Daniel P. Gamez and Alexa Manuel (2020)).
We would like to share some Mental Health Resources for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. CNSA is also in the process of organizing a healing circle for CNSA Indigenous Nursing students.
Network for Aboriginal Health Research - Mental Health Programs for Aboriginal People in Canada. This database is frequently updated with mental health resources across Canada. Link here: http://www.namhr.ca/mental-health-programs/
NWAC Elder Support Line // Canada-Wide. Available Monday-Friday 9AM-11AM EST & 1PM-3PM EST. Call 888-664-7808
First Nations, Métis & Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line // Canada-Wide. If you’re experiencing emotional distress and want to talk, call the First Nations, Métis & Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line. This is an anonymous phone line for any Indigenous person in Canada. It is open 365 days per year and 24h per day, staffed by Indigenous counsellors. Resources are available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut. 1-855-242-3310
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line - this service provides supports for former Residential School students. You can access referral services by calling the 24 hour national crisis line. This is for emotional support and crisis services. 1-866-925-4419
KUU.US Aboriginal Crisis Line. 1-800-588-8717
Please reach out if you need more support.
