Dene counselling rounds out program

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Along with their new, expanded facility, Dene Counselling Services has found a way to round out the services they deliver. Steps to Excellence For Personal Success comes from the Pacific Institute in Seattle, Washington and was offered through Queenscom Learning Centre in Edmonton.

"It really seems to be the piece that is missing in prevention," said Dene Counselling Services Director Vicki Jacob.

For a number of years, Jacob and staff from counselling services have done

in-school programming and it was felt that this could be adapted to the school setting.

That's what attracted Jacob to the training last February.

"It really builds on self-esteem. It's a people-building program. It not only hits at the leadership level but also the youth. We can hit from the bottom up or the top down."

Jacob got Indian Affairs Education to sponsor the program, which she helps run at Cold Lake.

"I wasn't sure that it would work," said Jacob, "but I've done a lot of prevention work in schools on self-esteem, decision making, peer pressure. I felt there should be more and that it should be very simple."

A pilot project was held at the Dene counselling building in June to see if the program was on the right track. It started off with 16 people participating and finished with 17.

The course consisted of one week of group sessions and two weeks of home study, where each person worked with an exercise book and audio resources, and one final week in group follow-up.

After the successful pilot, Dene counselling met with the new leadership of the band council and proposed a similar program that was geared towards them. The leadership scheduled their training for September.

The leadership program, called Invest in Excellence, requires more time commitment with one week in a large group, four weeks audio work and two weeks follow-up.

"We're starting with the leadership, then doing the teachers in the school, then

the band support staff and then we are going to be working with the young people," said Jacob. "We have enough resource material for 100 people."

Jacob, who has been working with Dene counselling at Cold Lake for the past 10 years, has seen the program and people develop and grow during that time. She believes the community and people are ready to take a new direction and that this program is the catalyst that can start them on that journey.

"Our community has come a long way in healing," said Jacob. "This particular program will boost energy to keep things positive. People, when they sober up, sometimes get stuck."

This program helps people set goals for themselves and their community. It asks them to define what the ideal would be and helps them realize they are in control and capable of reaching those goals.

In addition to this program, which was introduced in September, there has been a notable increase in the number of workshops and group sessions being held at the Dene counselling facility. The increase in space and a more central location in the community has meant a steady stream of people attending regular information sessions or just dropping by for coffee.

"We had a one-week workshop for men," said senior counsellor Elise Charland. "It was in our own language - Chipewyan. I was surprised at the men who attended. They talked about everyday living, the problems they run into with spouses and children."

Workshop topics included a session on residential schools, AIDS, Adult Children of Alcoholics, suicide prevention and one on cross cultural understanding with the local RCMP.

"We have a lot of laughter in this building," said Charland, describing the atmosphere of the centre that people find relaxing and warm.

"We look at the bright side of things."