About my journey:

Hello/Tansi! I am a Registered Couple and Family Therapist (RCFT). I am a mother of two and live with my partner in the beautiful mountain town of Grande Cache. I have worked with the Mamowichihitowin program since 2011. I was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. My mother’s family is Cayuga (which is one of the nations from the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario) and is also of German ancestry. My father’s family is French Canadian/Metis from a small town called Otter Lake, Quebec. I completed my post-secondary education at the University of Guelph, which is about an hour away from my hometown.

I found my way to Grande Cache because of this program. At the time, I had been in search of an adventure and an opportunity to gain experience in the field. During my interview for this position, I became incredibly aware of how unique and important this program was for the healing of Indigenous people. (I later learned that this program’s style and therapeutic approach are open and beneficial for everyone, not just Indigenous people. As the medicine wheel teaches, ALL are welcome.) It was a big decision for me to leave my family and my home. Connection to my family/friends has been and continues to be an incredibly important value in my life. However, after visiting the land here and learning more about this program, I had a knowing deep in my spirit that I needed to be here.

This work is especially close to my heart as an Indigenous person for several reasons. In my own family, I have witnessed the effects of colonization and the devastation caused by the disconnection from one another, the land, and our culture. For many years, I did not fully understand this. I think there is still so much I am learning, personally and professionally. For example, I only just recently learned that my mother was a survivor of Indian Day School for most of her childhood. This was never spoken about and was something she carried with her to her grave. She joined the spirit world when I was in my early 20s, so her story about this remains unknown. Part of the gift of my journey out west and working within this program is that I have been learning, reconnecting, and more deeply understanding all that has happened to our people and the ways that we are healing. Being of service to people as they move through their healing journeys has had the reciprocal benefit of helping me move through my healing. As a result, I am deeply committed to this work as I believe it honours all our ancestors who were never able to tell their stories. Despite this, we are healing, and this is something we are all working on together, which is exactly what our name, Mamowichihitowin means.

Interests (outside of work) include:

Yoga – completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training (2019)
Reading – especially love reading memoirs
Getting outdoors – camping, walking, hiking, swimming, biking, fishing, etc
Connections to spirituality/ceremony
Traveling

Credentials/recent training:

Master of Science in Couple and Family Therapy
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Canadian Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, RMFT, #20171247
Canadian College of Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists, CCPCP-R # 3118
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence training (AASAS)
Wholistic Healing Practices and Colonial Trauma certificate (in progress)