Reconnecting with their roots has proven to be most transformative for Indigenous youth struggling with mental health - so what would land-based mental health and addictions treatment look like?

Mental-health systems often try to treat patients with the same techniques. However, not all strategies work for everyone. This is where we find land-based treatment, an Indigenous approach to mental health, unlike what is generally prescribed to people in need. Land-based treatment, stemming from traditional knowledge, focuses on the power of nature to heal and re-centre an individual.

How does it work? What can Indigenous concepts of wellness teach us about healing? What does success mean for youth coming out the other side of mental-health challenges? And why would some communities benefit from something different than the Western approach to mental-health treatment?

In the final episode of “In Our Heads,” host Tiffany Lam reports on how cultural competence in mental-health care can affect health outcomes. The episode features a graduate from Gwekwaadziwin Miikan on Manitoulin Island, a publicly funded, land-based mental health and addiction program for young adults between the ages of 19 and 29.

Read the transcript here: https://www.tvo.org/article/how-to-heal-with-the-land

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If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support:

Wellness Together Canada

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA

To connect with a mental health professional one-on-one:

• call 1-888-668-6810 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth
• call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults

Kids Help Phone

Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario’s Mental Health Support Resources

https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

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