Rooted in Wellness: Indigenous Pathways to Healing and Strength

A four-month workshop series centring Indigenous knowledge in wellness and community care

Join the Ontario Association of Social Workers (OASW) and  Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Social Work  for a set of thought-provoking workshops exploring Indigenous approaches to wellness, identity, community healing, and resilience.

Sessions will cover:

  • Empowering Two Spirit & Indigequeer Youth
  • Indigenous approaches to youth suicide prevention and community healing
  • Indigenous teachings on loss
  • Culturally rooted strategies for resilience

Designed for social workers and social service professionals, these sessions are guided by Indigenous presenters with deep ties to these topics. 

All sessions are open to Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners.

Certificates of participation will be provided following each event.

This workshop series is produced in partnership with  Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Social Work Professional Development 

 

 Friday, February 20, 2026 | 10 am – 4:00 pm  

Empowering Wellness: Culturally Rooted Strategies for Resilience

Tatum Albert - BISW, BEd, MSW (she/her)

This session explores how Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing shape approaches to helping and healing in both community and professional settings.
Drawing on land-based learning, ceremony, and relational practices, the session will highlight culturally grounded strategies that foster resilience and wellness. Participants will gain insight into how Indigenous frameworks can complement and transform mainstream practices, with practical takeaways for social work, education, and community engagement. Learners should attend to deepen their understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems and strengthen their ability to engage in culturally safe and holistic practice.

Price: 
Non-members: $300 +HST
Members: $200 +HST

Register Now

Meet the Presenter

 Wednesday, January 21, 2026 | 10 am – 4:00 pm  

Coping with Grief using the Sacred 
Mary Anne Caibaiosai – MSW, PhD c. (she/her)

 

 In this workshop, Mary Anne Caibaiosai will share spiritual practices that Anishinaabe people follow in times of illness, death in the family and community and explore how some of these practices can be applied in your own life and professional practice. Some ceremonies and practices she will describe are intended to inform social workers of ways they can mindfully guide Indigenous clients to Elders and communities that may offer these practices.

Using the holistic framework of the medicine wheel to guide this workshop, participants will learn:

  • How to identify the varying forms of grief, and beyond the realm of bereavement, that affect all aspects of who we are

  • Anishinaabe spiritual practices and ceremonies that aim to reduce emotional heaviness, mental anguish, spiritual darkness and physical pain that comes from holding grief and loss in our being

  • Holistic practices that everyone can seek out in their own lives, and to help others, including going to the land

  • Ceremonial practices Anishinaabe embrace as ways to honour our ancestors, to honour ourselves, the generations behind us and those yet to come

Participants will also be invited to share practices they use to support loss and grief, as well as practices related to death and bereavement.

Price: 
Non-members: $300 +HST
Members: $200 +HST

Registration Closed

Meet the Presenter

 Friday, January 16, 2026 |10 am – 4:00 pm 

Nîsohkamâtowak: Empowering Two Spirit & Indigequeer Youth
Presented by Emily Hearn, MSW, RSW (they/them/she/her/he/him)

 

 

Throughout the histories of Indigenous communities, Two Spirits and queer peoples have played significant roles in the social, political, spiritual, and familial realms of day-to-day life. However, as part of the ongoing colonization project in the Western world, there has been an intentional attempt to erase these important histories. This workshop, intended for Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants alike, establishes a foundational understanding of Indigenous queerness, explores the works of historical and contemporary Two Spirit peoples, and helps participants envision a world that centres reciprocity and relationship.

Registration Closed
Meet the Presenter 

 Friday, December 12, 2025 | 10 am – 4:00 pm  

Youth Suicide and Fostering Healthy Youth Communities
Presented by Tracey Whiteye, MSW, RSW (she/her)

This workshop offers an Indigenous perspective on the interconnectedness of youth mental health and youth suicide. Participants will collaboratively explore key factors and gaps in health outcomes. Additionally, the workshop will emphasize the significance of holistic Indigenous healing practices.

Participants will:

  • Examine the factors contributing to the high rates of suicide among Indigenous youth and the associated challenges.
  • Gain a deeper understanding of an Indigenous perspective on understanding youth mental health and youth suicide, including identifying key factors and gaps in health outcomes.
  • Explore the significance of promoting community-driven initiatives to support youth development and foster healthy communities.

Through this workshop, participants will develop a comprehensive awareness of the unique and nuanced mental health challenges facing Indigenous youth, their root causes, and ways they can partner and learn from Indigenous communities who are implementing culturally mindful supports.

Registration Closed 
 Meet the Presenter

 

 

 

 


Learn more about our expert speakers and the experiences they bring to the table.