Mental Wellness & Minobimaadizing Program

What We Do:

Assist men and women (18+ years) in determining their own vision and path to maintaining wholistic health and well-being through traditional and contemporary mental health counselling and treatment services.
We offer a wide variety of counselling services and educational workshops including individual client-centered counselling, family and group therapy for:

  • Anger Management
  • Self-esteem
  • Substance Abuse
  • Parenting Issues
  • Phobias
  • Grief and Loss
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Couples/Marital Counselling
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Addictions
  • Family Violence
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Depression
  • Other Mental Health Disorders
  • Referrals to other agencies/services as needed

Service Delivery Objectives:

Mental health counselling service provides client-centered individual counselling to address specific issues and concerns directly related to mental illness and well-being. Counsellors will assist clients with conducting an assessment of needs, collaborate and consult with other service providers as needed, and provide short or long-term counselling on an individual basis.

General counselling is offered to individuals, couples or groups using a variety of treatment modalities including both traditional and contemporary practices.

Promotion of culturally and community based mental health healing and wellness in accordance with the community’s own priorities and traditions through sharing and talking circles.

Wholistic Health and Well-Being

Mental Health is a journey of seeking balance in the four aspects of life (spiritual, emotional, physical and mental) and is equally important in the healing and wellness process. Wellness begins with discovering and re-discovering the gifts that you carry and finding balance with oneself, family, community and the larger environment.

Health conditions affecting our spirit include for example, confusion, loss of connectedness, acts of vandalism, and/or problems in the physical, emotional and mental aspects. Health conditions affecting our emotions include for example, low self-esteem, loss of ability to cope, relationship/marital difficulties. Health conditions affecting our physical body include for example, diabetes, heart/circulatory problems, asthma, weight gain/loss, obesity. Health conditions affecting our mental wellness include poor judgment and/or decision making, difficulty concentrating, substance abuse, addictions, anxiety, depression, stress, grief, phobias, and post-traumatic stress.

We can help you regain and maintain good balance through counselling and treatment services tailored to meet your needs.

Ontario Common Assessment of Need (OCAN)

We use OCAN (Ontario Common Assessment of Need) to understand your needs. This is becoming standard across Ontario in community mental health agencies to help your workers focus on your identified needs. Using standard questions throughout agencies reduces the likeliness of service providers missing important information to help serve you better.

What is OCAN?

It is a voluntary consumer led way to identify your strengths and needs quickly. There are 2 parts:

The first step of OCAN is completing your self-assessment which allows you to explore areas in your life that you feel you need help with. This is your opportunity to tell us what your most important needs are.

The second step is having a wellness conversation with your mental health worker who will ask additional questions related to your self-assessment. This will help ensure they fully understand your needs and identify your personal strengths and opportunities for growth. Together, you and your worker will develop an action plan to help you achieve your hopes for the future.

Your Voice Counts

Although the OCAN self-assessment is optional, we would like you to take part in using it and here’s why:

  • The answers you give will help identify what services you need and which goals to work on first.
  • Service providers can work with you to find the right help sooner because it helps to identify your spiritual, emotional, physical and mental wellness needs.
  • You can write additional comments in each life area and identify your hopes, dreams and goals so that a plan can be developed to help you get there.
  • If you choose to share your OCAN with other agencies, it may reduce the number of times you need to repeat information throughout your healing and wellness journey.

Naandwe Noojimowin (formerly Beauty from Ashes)

BFA

Naandwe Noojimowin (Assisting in the Healing Movement toward the Good Life), was formerly called the Beauty From Ashes program. It is an intensive (voluntary) 5-day residential program that benefits anyone seeking to understand the connection between childhood trauma, and how they interact with and relate to people they come into contact with everyday. This program provides insight into personal behaviours, helps participants understand their relational style and where it originates from, and offers tools for improving communication and relationships.

Through collaborative partnerships with Benbowopka Treatment Centre in Blind River and the Dan Pine Healing Lodge in Garden River First Nation, we are able to offer these events at two different locations throughout the year. Learning materials, meals and shared accommodations are provided FREE, however, participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the event location.

For more information, contact us

1-844-864-0523

Lisa H. Meawasige
Program Director of Mental Wellness & Minobimaadizing
N’Mninoeyaa Aboriginal Health Access Centre
473B Hwy 17 West – Cutler, ON – P0P 1B0
Tel: 705 844-2021 ext. 311
Fax: 705-844-2844
 

Additional Resources

The First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line provides culturally competent support 24/7: 1-855-242-3310

Naandwe Noojimowin Printable Application January 2018