We're thrilled to have a genuine groundbreaker in the world of First Nations Psychology joining us on pihtikwe. Dr Ethsi Stewart is a proud member of the Yellowknife Dene First Nation and a registered psychologist.  She is Director of the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health, and the first Indigenous full Professor at the University of Toronto, in the Department of Social and Behaviour Health Sciences at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. 

Her research and teaching interests include Indigenous mental health and healing in psychology and Indigenous ethics and research methodologies. She is also the former Chair of the Aboriginal Section of the Canadian Psychology Association and she is committed to advancing Indigenous healing issues through the disciplines of health and psychology.

Our Hosts: 

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. 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. 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).

pihtikwê is produced by David McGuffin of Explore Podcast Productions. Assistant Producer: Graham McGuffin.

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