Residential trauma treatment

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The Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society's Substance Abuse Treatment Centre in Lantzville received funding to the tune of $450,000 from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation in Ottawa. The funding is to be used towards a five-week residential program for Aboriginal adults who are living with the residual effects of trauma from their experiences in residential schools.

The program's funding is for one year. The program will be guided by the wisdom and support of Elders who advise the Tsow-Tun Le Lum centre on a regular basis. They will work with the participants to address the causes of the addictions, behaviors and relationship problems that result from residential school trauma. The effects of trauma are some of the lasting effects of residential school survivors. The new program called Moving Beyond the Traumas of Our Past, will run in six, five-week programs. An average of 10 people will attend each program.

"I believe in this. I guess in my perception we can move beyond this. That is the name of our program, Moving Beyond the Traumas of Our Past. I have a real understanding I think and a sadness, of course, for what happened. I try to give that message to other people out there. A lot of people do not understand," said Charles McLaughlin, executive director. "I think that it is a tremendous healing movement. Ten to 15 years ago we used to think that if we got over this alcohol and drug addiction circle we would have it made. All of a sudden, bang, the residential school issues started to come forth. In this program, we recommend that the participants have at least six months of sobriety before they apply to the program. It is an intense program. Our experience tell us that if they do not have as many months of sobriety, they are not going to stay around to complete it. The program is free, the participants do not pay anything, they just have to find a way to get here. We will take people who are from other provinces as well. We do not make a distinction, Metis and non-status people are welcome to attend as well."

Except for the psychologist, McLaughlin said, all the facilitators and counsellors are Aboriginal. The program will have 11 Elders who will be with the participants during the program. A program co-ordinator, a trained therapist, and a therapist counsellor will be available to the clients in the evenings. A psychologist will also work with them on a one to one basis. Two outreach workers will be responsible for follow-up counselling for those who finish the program. Significant issues will be ironed out through a very traditional approach. Resident Elders who are based in the culture and the traditions will teach the use of medicines and the protocol of the sweat-lodge.

"We are rooted in the Aboriginal culture. We believe in the Creator and the power to heal. We also connect that with the modern things we know from a modern perspective, as in psychotherapy awareness. We start with the knowledge base of what residential school was all about. We than move into trust building," said McLaughlin. "We have an intensive week with psychodrama to help the clients to unravel. They get to work on that theme, layer by layer."

In the centre's case they had the opportunity for a quick start-up because they had run a few pilot projects on the topic of residential school issues before and had received a good evaluation of the programs from the communities. The centre also utilized most of the concerns and suggestions that came out of the pilot projects' evaluations. The first program is actually running under the new format.

Lantzville is located on reserve just north of Nanaimo. The reserve of Nanoose is located in Lantzville. They've recently changed the reserve's name to its original one, the Snaw' Naw' As reserve.

In celebration of the beginning of the new program, the centre held an open house on Feb. 10.