Dr. Holly Graham and Dr. Alanaise Ferguson are happy to welcome Dr. Amy Bombay to pihtikwê - Visits with First Nations Psychologists. Amy’s work has seen her exploring the relationships between intergenerational and personal experiences of trauma and cultural identity in predicting mental health outcomes among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Her research exploring the ways which Indian Residential School experiences are transmitted across generations has garnered extensive media interest and has been influential in affecting policy and practice related to Indigenous health. Amy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University. She is a proud member of Rainy River First Nations and completed her MSc and PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience.

Our Hosts: 

Dr Holly Graham is a member of the Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan. She holds an academic appointment at the University of Saskatchewan. She also has an Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing. She has worked as a Registered Nurse in northern communities and is a Registered Doctoral Psychologist. 

Our Purpose:

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 Network Environments for 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. 

pihtikwê is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions. Graham McGuffin - production assistant.

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