Indigenous Tools For Living

A 6 session series of an integrative therapy workshop exploring indigenous tools for living on how to work and sit with complex trauma without burnout.

Perspective & Practice

Indigenous Tools For Living

This workshop is for professionals at all levels, who are working with marginalized people. We will explore Indigenous perspectives and practice hands on learning about complex trauma to help keep grounded and be more comfortable when in difficult situations. A variety of Aboriginal/ Indigenous treatment modalities are woven throughout, including experiential exercises and land based healing techniques.

ReGister for events Now

Indigenous Tools for Living is a 3-day training on how to work with and sit beside complex trauma. Though the training will benefit clinicians, it is also specifically designed for frontline non-clinical workers in social work, victim services, first responders and similar professions. It is facilitated by instructors and Elders from the Indigenous Focusing Orientated Therapy Program, and is clinically supervised by Shirley Turcotte, RCC.

ITFL emphasizes knowledge and application through classroom instruction, applied scenario-based learning, and clinical practice and supervision (when taught to clinicians). A variety of Indigenous treatment modalities are woven throughout, including experiential exercises, storytelling, ceremonial processes and land-based healing techniques. Together these provide concrete tools and approaches for working with complex trauma in ways that avoid burnout and triggering, while at the same time maximizing impact and achieving better outcomes.

Making an Impact Across the Globe

Indigenous Tools for Living was developed by Shirley Turcotte, R.C.C.S.F.T.T who is a Metis knowledge keeper and Registered Clinical Counsellor and has been working internationally, with communities and survivors of intergenerational complex trauma, Indian Residential Schools fallout, childhood sexual abuse, and PTSD for more than 4 decades. Her work in developing applied or intergrative therapy techniques through an Indigenous collective lens is far reaching. Shirley is a strong advocate for land-based knowledge and Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness. Her National Film Board of Canada’s film, To A Safer Place; helped move the epidemic of child sexual abuse into the public eye and was the first of its kind. She is a recipient of many awards, including B.C’s Woman of Distinction Award in Health and Education. She is the curriculum developer, mentor, lead instructor and clinical supervisor of the Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy (IFOT) Program; and she is the mentor, curriculum developer, and clinical supervisor for the Indigenous Tools for Living program.

Our Classes

ITFL Online Workshops

This is the only Indigenous Tools For Living training that is opened to all communities in the United States

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DAY ONE (Mandatory)

Basket 1

Creating a protected land-based space for hearing, sharing and creating landbased ways of setting “the load” down.

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January 8, 2021
6 PM – 9 PM
With Beatrice Hyacinthe, LCSW, Damaliah Gibson, PhD, Isabel Adon, LCSW.

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DAY ONE OBJECTIVES:

(i) Clearing and creating a protected land-based space for hearing and sharing trauma
(ii) Protecting your center to be able to hear trauma without being traumatized by it
(iii) How to set down lived, vicarious and intergenerational trauma

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DAY TWO

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Sensing the difference between a reaction and an authentic ‘felt sense’; Hearing the wisdom of our collective knowing and ancestral shared trauma knowledge.

Basket 3

Exploring the intergenerational benefits and necessity of that Critical Voice that tells you/us ‘you can’t’ and using that ‘critical voice’ as a helper in finding our authentic personal and collective voices.

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January 9, 2021
11 AM – 5 PM
With Beatrice Hyacinthe, LCSW, Damaliah Gibson, PhD, Isabel Adon, LCSW.

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DAY TWO OBJECTIVES:

(i) Noticing our triggers and how to attend to them quickly, as service workers and helpers
(ii) Indigenous Helpers: cedar, stones, water, and how to lean into land to create a hearing space
(iii) Feelings, reactions and felt sense
(iv) How to sit beside and work effectively with complex trauma
(v) How to transform and lean into animals to become un-triggered and fully stay present in difficult situations with difficult people
(vi) How to notice regression, and respond and reflect when someone is in a difficult emotional state and not being respectful
(vii) Understanding the role of the Critic and how to connect with the collective inter-generational wisdom laying deep under the critic

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DAY THREE

Basket 4

Collective and Personal Grief & Loss explored as Justice and Transformation to help move us personally and collectively forward.

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January 15, 2021
6 PM – 9 PM
With Beatrice Hyacinthe, LCSW, Damaliah Gibson, PhD, Isabel Adon, LCSW.

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DAY THREE OBJECTIVES:

(i) Grieving as an action into social justice: Deep feelings of grief, depression or suicide are often collective and inter-generational conversations
(ii) How to recognize the various levels and roots of grief our clients are experiencing and connecting with the land to find out what may help to move into connection

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DAY FOUR

Basket 5

Exploring Dreams & Twisted Thoughts (day or night) as guides for resolving complexities and collective intergenerational

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Spirituality considerations; with complex, intergenerational trauma.

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January 16, 2021
11 AM – 5 PM
With Beatrice Hyacinthe, LCSW, Damaliah Gibson, PhD, Isabel Adon, LCSW.

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DAY FOUR OBJECTIVES

(i) Exploring our Dreams and Twisted Thoughts (day or night) as guides for resolving complexities and collective Inter-generational connection
(ii) Spirituality considerations; with complex, intergenerational trauma
(ii) Receiving our gifts
(iv) Giving back and strengthen the clinical skills learned to work with complex trauma using the decolonized / Indigenous therapeutic skills