Dr Carol Hopkins is our guest on episode three of pihtikwê- Visits with First Nations Psychologists. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation - a leading advocate for First Nations culturally-based mental wellness services. Carol has spent more than 25 years working in the field of First Nations addictions and mental health, with a special focus on the use of Traditional Knowledge and healing. Carol is a proud member of the Lenape First Nation in Southwestern Ontario. She holds both a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and a degree in Sacred Indigenous Knowledge, the equivalent of a PhD. In recognition of her work as a landmark influencer in the field of addictions and mental health, in 2018 Carol was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

In this smart and thoughtful conversation with Carol, our hosts, Dr Alanaise Ferguson and Dr Brenda Restoule, discuss the many lessons Carol has learned in her long career working with individuals and communities struggling with addictions, and the importance of using Traditional Indigenous healing methods.

Dr. Alanaise Ferguson is a member of the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and a Registered Psychologist in the Province of BC. She holds an academic appointment at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Syilx Territory.

She has trained and clinically supervised hundreds of Counseling Psychology students over the past 9 years in her academic roles at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.

Dr Brenda Restoule is an Anishinabe-kwe and member of Dokis First Nation in the Robinson Huron Treaty. She is a Registered Clinical Psychologist in Ontario who works in First Nation communities and also leads the First Peoples Wellness Circle, an Indigenous led national not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to raising the profile of Indigenous mental wellness using Indigenous Knowledge and evidence.

The purpose of our podcast series is to mobilize and share Indigenous Knowledge related to trauma repair, recovery from addictions, community survivance, and care across Indigenous communities in Canada.

Our goal is to provide listeners with access to conversations about the lived experiences of First Nations psychologists and leaders in the mental wellness field. We will discuss how that relates to challenges and successes in navigating and working within systems of care, as well as strength-based and cultural approaches to healing for Indigenous people.The podcast episodes will discuss topics related to:

1) Strength-based approaches to care

2) Challenges and successes in the field

3) Personal perspectives and experiences; and

4) Analysis of the systems of care

This podcast series is developed by the Healing from Trauma and Reducing Addictions group, part of the Ontario Network Environments Indigenous Health Research (ON NEIHR) Program. Situated in 10 sites across Ontario, ON NEIHR is demonstrating how health systems should move away from Western biomedical treatment of Indigenous medical illness to holistic, culturally based interventions instead (which include sacred aspects of healing: physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental dimensions). This program is funded by the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). This group is led by Dr. Holly Graham (University of Saskatchewan), Dr. Brenda Restoule (First Peoples Wellness Circle), and Dr. Alanaise Ferguson (University of British Columbia-Okanagan). This project aims to centre the voices of Indigenous experts and leaders working in the mental wellness field to promote collective learning and mobilize knowledge to support Indigenous well-being.

pihtikwe is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions.

Our theme music is Kâkike, written and performed by Fawn Wood, an award winning Cree-Salish musician and songwriter. You can learn more about her music at fawnwood.ca