Support is just a call away

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Taking the first step in the journey of healing from sexual abuse is only a phone call away, thanks to the Native Healing Connection.

Through the Native Healing Connection program, people who have been sexually abused-or are still being abused-can call a toll-free number, and be connected with counselors or other trained people in their community who can help them along their healing path. All calls made to the toll-free number are completely confidential.

Patrick Scott is manager of Aboriginal programs with World Vision Canada, the organization that funds the Native Healing Connection.

The program was started in 1998, with funding at that time coming both from World Vision Canada and a national coalition of churches. When the coalition cut its funding for the project in 1999, World Vision decided to continue funding it on its own, Scott said.

"The line was initiated in part of the climate of all the residential school disclosures that were beginning to happen, in a sense that there needed to be something easily accessible for people. But certainly the results are not entrenched in the residential school situation. The problem is widespread," Scott said.

"We have limited money for it, so it probably isn't as substantive as it could be. But I think most people appreciate that there are a lot of people still living with wounds from either previous experiences of being sexually abused, or more current experience, and having no safe place to turn. Especially in smaller communities where . . . they don't have any anonymity. They're too well known, and so there's a lot more fear of disclosing to someone within the community, because of the potential repercussions. Or just plain fear, of not wanting anyone to know that they have been violated in that way," Scott said.

The toll-free number, he explained, can help people to take the first step of disclosure, and often the hardest step-admitting for the first time that they have been abused.

"The purpose of the Healing Connection isn't to be the primary source of counseling. And I think that's important for people to understand. What it is, is it's the door opener, which allows people then to find the resources that they need within their own context," Scott said.

Callers to Native Healing Connection will be referred to a professional counselor or other trained helper, someone in close proximity who they can go to for help in starting their healing journey. Program organizers are currently looking at the possibility of training peer counselors who would work to help others in their communities.

"We feel it is important to provide that kind of option for people who would otherwise not have an option," Scott said.

When a person makes the call to the Native Healing Connection, "I think they can expect to have, number one, someone who is willing to just start hearing them out, and ask a few primary questions on what their circumstance is," Scott said.

The person taking the call will ask for some basic information-the caller's location, when they'd be prepared to start talking to someone in their area, and how to reach them with the referral information.

"It is a referral line-that's the important thing. So the person on the Healing Connection end tries to do an assessment of the severity of the person's condition and the level of need at that moment, and then make appropriate referrals for them. And if they don't have the information on hand, then they go and research for the person what resources are available to them and get back to them."

Although intended to serve Aboriginal people from across Canada, the Healing Connection has had international calls, including calls from the U.S., and even one call from Germany. And although most of the callers are Aboriginal, calls come from non-Aboriginal people as well.

"And certainly, no one is ever turned away from the service if they choose to call," Scott said.

"People go where they feel safe to go, and that's wha's important, is that sense of confidentiality, and safety of being able to pick up a telephone line."

World Vision Canada is looking for corporate donors to help support the Native Healing Connection project. Additional funding would allow for increased availability of the line, and more advertising to increase awareness of the service within the Aboriginal community. Right now, responsibility for responding to calls is handled by a staff of three, who have other responsibilities on top of the phone calls and referrals. With corporate sponsorship, the number of people available to answer the calls would be increased, particularly during off-business hours.

"Dealing with sexual abuse is not a nine to five, five day a week issue for people who need help. They need help when they're ready to take the step. And so you need to have extensive availability, and with limited funding, that's hard to do. There's a lot of good will on the people who work there in terms of making themselves available at all kinds of times," Scott said.

An expanded Native Healing Connection program would also provide reading material and audiotapes for people who don't feel comfortable talking face to face with someone about their sexual abuse.

As for the success of the Native Healing Connection, Scott sees it making a difference.

"There's certainly been a number of people who have come back and said it's made a significant difference in their lives. Women, men, young people, older people. It's interesting running a line like that that is just available, because you certainly get a real broad cross-section of people. And it simply says that there are lots of people who are carrying deep wounds within them, and need support to heal from them. They need some way of medicating those wounds, and often don't know who to turn to. So they come across a poster, or they hear a public service announcement that offers a 1-800 line, and that really helps them take that first step.

"It's not anythin profound that we're doing. It's a very simple thing of having someone on the other end of the phone that can start that caring journey and support."

To contact the Native Healing Connection, call 1-888-600-5464. In Edmonton, call 433-6286.