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Counselling Indigenous Youth in Canada

In approximately the next twenty years, Indigenous Youth (ages 15 to 24) will form the

biggest proportion of the Indigenous population, with a large risk for developing a number of

chronic conditions and adverse mental health conditions. Many of these issues can be attributed

to the negative impacts of colonialism and racial oppression (passed on in the form of

intergenerational trauma), which is why it is so necessary to offer interventions that include

aspects of Indigenous culture to combat the many years of erasure that Indigenous people have

faced.

Socio-cultural and demographic background

Indigenous people in Canada have long been marginalized and victimized in many ways

(through instances such as the Sixties Scoop and the Indian residential school systems) which

have created a lasting negative impact on the lives of Indigenous families. As mentioned in

Okpalauwaekwe et al. (2022,) Indigenous youth (ages 15 - 24) will make up the largest

proportion of the Indigenous population by 2041 and as this number rises, it is estimated that

more and more Indigenous children and youth will be placed in the child welfare system.

This poses great difficulty as children are removed from their home base, separated from

their families and are then unable to practise their cultural traditions or speak in their language,

whilst also sometimes facing physical and emotional abuse. In addition to the terrors that youth

may face at the hands of foster parents, they are already at risk for a number of health problems

as Indigenous people have a lower life expectancy, and a higher rate of chronic diseases in

comparison to non-Indigenous Canadians (Kolahdooz et al., 2015). Indigenous youth themselves

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have a higher rate of chronic conditions (such as diabetes, heart diseases, etc.), poverty, youth

incarceration, higher adverse mental health conditions and higher suicide rates (Okpalauwaekwe,

2022). 

Indigenous peoples’ view of health in general is seen in a different way from the

Western world as theirs focuses on a holistic view of health which seeks balance between

physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of an Indigenous person in connection with

their ancestors, future generations, their land, the environment and their community as a whole

(Okpalauwaekwe et al. 2022). This further marginalizes Indigenous communities by furthering

the legacy of colonization as the Western perspective on health is seen as the dominant lens.

In the case of Indigenous children, (specifically First Nations children), they are 17 times

more at-risk to be placed in out-of-home care in comparison to non-Indigenous children, mainly

due to poor housing, poverty, substance use and domestic violence (Fallon et al., 2021, as cited

in Mcquaid et al., 2022) with other research showing a disproportionate number of First Nations,

Metis and Inuit children not living with at least one of their biological parents, compared to the

general Canadian population (Mcquaid et al., 2022).

Counselling strategies

Waaseya is a 16-year-old girl who grew up in a Metis community in Manitoba. Her

mother died at a young age, and her father has recently increased his drinking due to work stress

and being unable to provide adequately for his family. She has one younger brother, who she has

recently been separated from, as they have both been placed under youth protection. She is also

separated from her maternal aunt, who acted as a role model for her. She has always felt a

disconnect between herself and her father, but since moving into foster care (with non-

indigenous foster parents), she reports feeling a sense of loss once again, similar to what she
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experienced when her mother died. She has also experienced verbal abuse in foster care

(especially if she speaks in her Native language) and mentions feelings of not belonging. She

describes feeling as though no one really cares for her and worries what her life will be like in

the future. She also has been unable to sleep for the past two weeks and describes loss in appetite

and a tremor in her right hand when she worries about how her father and brother are doing.

Waaseya mentions that she initially did not ever want to experiment with alcohol because of her

father’s own addiction, but as she has felt more and more isolated as of lately, she considers

using it to numb her emotions.

Waaseya’s anxiety is her reaction to being uprooted (by the hands of the law and the

Canadian structures that be) from her family home and the life that she is accustomed to into an

environment where she feels as though she cannot thrive due to the inability to practice her own

culture (either through language or food) and loss of connection to those closest to her.

This change in culture has shaken Waaseya as the imposition of the current youth

protection system on indigenous peoples does not take into account their culture, nor their

concepts of family and wellness, thereby causing fractures to their systems of kinship and care

(Barudin, 2021) as seen in her disconnect with her father, brother and aunt.

Waaseya’s current symptoms of anxiety are due to the current distance placed between

herself and her family, especially her aunt who appears to be her cultural rock and who she

typically spends most of her time with. Typically, Waaseya has a strong sense of cultural

connectedness, which refers to how connected a young person feels towards their cultural

practices and communities (Ineese-Nash et al., 2022) and this sudden lack/removal from her own

culture enhances Waaseya’s feelings of loneliness.

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There is also high concern for her, even though she has not expressed any ideations of

self-harm or suicide, as data shows that suicide rates for Indigenous adults are two to three times

higher than non-Indigenous Canadians (Hajizadeh et al., 2018) and steps should be taken to

ensure that in her later years, Waaseya is able to deal with strong emotions without becoming

another statistic for the afotementioned. This is especially why culture should be implemented

into any interventions used with Waaseya, as ‘culture is the most important factor in mitigating

mental health challenges and suicidality in young Indigenous people (Barker et al., 2017, as cited

in Ineese-Nash et al., 2022). Ensuring that she does not begin using alcohol as a crutch is also

very important, and helping her find better coping strategies is fundamental.

Counselling interventions

The most important aspects of counseling Indigenous youth, and Indigenous peoples on a

whole, is to recognize that with all interventions utilized, ‘safety and creating a sacred space

should be pillars of each session’ (Barudin, 2021, p.31) and that in order to heal “soul wounds”,

one must move past interventions which focus on the Westernized biomedical models of health

and healing (Okpalauwaekwe et al., 2022) and instead move towards incorporating Indigenous

culture into care.

Choosing a holistic approach, which is also interactive for Waaseya, is why guided yoga

sessions, coupled with journaling and beadwork, would be a good option for her. Each session

would include a ‘circle check-in with a guided question and the choice to practice spiritual

cleansing through smudging with sacred plant medicines including sage, sweetgrass, and cedar’

(Barudin, 2021, p. 26), followed by different yoga poses being practiced (which were chosen by

the themes found during journaling) and then including beadwork as “there is ritual to beading

that binds the community together” (Gray, 2017, p.24, as cited in Barudin, 2021, p. 30). This will
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help to foster good bonds between myself and Waaseya, especially as she now feels as though

she is on her own and no one in the wider community understands her. Apart from feeling a

sense of community, these things can help her feel a ‘greater sense of totality and connectedness’

(Ginn et al., 2021, p. 456).

Furthermore, one main reason why the structured sessions of yoga and beading would be

a good idea is due to the fact that it places less emphasis on bonding through language, which

has already been difficult for Waaseya; instead, and through movement and creativity, a different

kind of bond can be formed, which can then enhance the other strategies. As mentioned by

Barudin (2021), expressing oneself verbally appears less culturally relevant for Indigenous

adolescent girls. 

Directions for future research

Based on statistics which state that Indigenous peoples are more at risk for mental health

issues, there is then a major need for investment and understanding in Indigenous-specific mental

health interventions and programming (Graham et al., 2021). This is especially due to the fact

that Indigenous Peoples’ worldview differs greatly from the ‘norm’ of Euro-Western-based

philosophy on how the world works, and how the body and brain affects mental health. One

cannot then apply the same concepts to Indigenous peoples and more research should be done on

how to incorporate their traditions within psychology.

This in itself poses another major issue as there is a lack of information on mental health,

care and different traditions in general for the different Indigenous groups (such as the Metis or

the Inuit). Due to the First nations group being the largest, it would make sense that research

would focus a lot more on them; however, there are cultural differences amongst each group, as
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well as different languages, which poses difficulties as one should not assume that each

Indigenous group follows the same rules (although they have similar foundational beliefs). 

Lastly, the fact that most research is done by those whose lived experiences have been in

the Western world means that there is a possibility that they may unknowingly apply their biases

to the information when conducting studies on Indigenous peoples and then present skewed data.

Research conducted by someone from the specific Indigenous group, with a good grasp of the

culture and its meaning to the particular group, is necessary; however, it requires better

opportunities for Indigenous youth, and therefore an entire upheaval of the current structures

limiting them.

Conclusion

The fact that Indigenous children have a higher chance of being separated from their

families and put into the child welfare system calls for an entire reevaluation and reconstruction

of the laws currently in place. Such a grandiose and lengthy task then heightens the importance

of having strong mental health interventions with woven threads of Indigenous culture

strategically placed to enhance the feelings of safety, acceptance and appreciation of one’s self,

all while navigating various hardships, caused by years of colonialism and intergenerational

trauma.
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References

Barudin, J. W. G. (2021). From breath to beadwork: Lessons learned from a trauma-informed

yoga series with Indigenous adolescent girls under youth protection. International

Journal of Indigenous Health, 16(1), 21-37. https://doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v16i1.33220

Ginn, C. S., Ginn, C. W. C., Gervais, L., Gentes, J., Bergum, D. D. V., Rees, N., Ronald, T.,

Doupé, T., & Camponi, A. (2021). Exploring Métis health, spirituality and well-being: a

patient-oriented community-based qualitative study with the Métis Nation of Alberta -

Region 3. CMAJ open, 9(2), E451–E458. https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20200018

Graham, S., Stelkia, K., Wieman, C., & Adams, E. (2021). Mental health interventions for First

Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada: A systematic review. The International

Indigenous Policy Journal, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2021.12.2.10820

Hajizadeh, M., Hu, M., Bombay, A., & Asada, Y. (2018). Socioeconomic inequalities in health

among Indigenous peoples living off-reserve in Canada: Trends and determinants. Health

policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 122(8), 854–865.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.06.011

Ineese-Nash, N., Stein, M., & Patel, K. (2022). Wiingushk okaadenige (Sweetgrass braid): A

braided approach to Indigenous youth mental health support during Covid-19.

International Journal of Indigenous Health, 17(1), 41-72.

https://doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v17i1.36721

Kolahdooz, F., Nader, F., Yi, K. J., & Sharma, S. (2015). Understanding the social determinants

of health among Indigenous Canadians: priorities for health promotion policies and

actions. Global health action, 8, 27968. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v8.27968

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McQuaid, R. J., Schwartz, F. D., Blackstock, C., Matheson, K., Anisman, H., & Bombay, A.

(2022). Parent-child separations and mental health among First Nations and Métis

peoples in Canada: Links to intergenerational residential school attendance. International

journal of environmental research and public health, 19(11), 6877.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116877

Okpalauwaekwe, U., Ballantyne, C., Tunison, S., & Ramsden, V. R. (2022). Enhancing health

and wellness by, for and with Indigenous youth in Canada: a scoping review. BMC

public health, 22(1), 1630. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14047-2