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Volume 26, Issue 1 | Spring 2006
Addiction Treatment With an Aboriginal FocusThis issue of Developments highlights Aboriginal addictions treatment programs in Alberta that are funded by AADAC. It includes important information for counsellors who work with Aboriginal clients, and gives us a glimpse into the power of Aboriginal spirituality with a description of the sacred use of tobacco as a part of recovery from addiction. It also includes a listing of AADAC's funded Aboriginal agencies in Alberta. |
Aboriginal Addiction Treatment in AlbertaLeonard O'Kanee describes himself as having been an angry and spiritually bankrupt young man. Having grown up in residential schools and foster homes, he felt disconnected from his own culture. "But I've always had this gnawing feeling in my stomach that something was missing," says O'Kanee. "When I came to Poundmaker's Lodge, when they talked about spirituality, that's when I started connecting the pieces." Working With Aboriginal Clients in Addictions TreatmentIn his early days as an addictions counsellor, Lawrence Derry made a mistake that forever altered his outlook on helping Aboriginal clients. Today, 20 years of substantial and varied experience later, he is the director of training at the Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute, a place that actually specializes in Aboriginal addictions training. Sacred Tobacco: Its Role in Healing From Addiction"This pipe is like a child. If you abuse it, it will eventually come back to hurt you." Aboriginal elder Emil Durocher paused and allowed his statement to be absorbed by the group participating in his pipe ceremony. They nodded with understanding. To an outsider, Emil's analogy about the pipe could seem shocking or confusing, but to those seated around him, it was clear. They had come to Poundmaker's Lodge Treatment Centre for help with their addictions and had already felt the consequences of abusing a substance. Communities Offering Services Funded by AADACThe following is a listing of Alberta communities in which agencies and programs funded by AADAC provide addiction prevention, treatment and information with an Aboriginal focus. The Back PageOn The Back Page of Developments you can read about conferences, learning opportunities, special events, and recommended AADAC resources (always good and sometimes extraordinary value). If you want to advertise on The Back Page, contact the editor of Developments for rates and deadlines. |
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