Culturally informed mental health support available for Indigenous families

A new culturally-sensitive virtual parent and caregiver coaching program is available in British Columbia.

The We Are Indigenous: Big Worries/Fears Parent/Caregiver Support Program is a culturally-informed program to support Indigenous families with children aged three to 12 experiencing anxiety.

“We want Indigenous families to have access to the mental health support they need, so little problems don’t become big ones,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

“The Big Worries/Fears program is guided by traditional knowledge from Indigenous communities and will help parents support their children by working together as a family.”

The program, developed with the guidance of the Indigenous advisory group Caring in All Directions and Indigenous writers in collaboration with Canadian Mental Health Association – B.C. Division (CMHA BC), provides access to free, culturally grounded mental health support. Those supports involve online videos and scheduled telephone coaching sessions to provide parents and guardians with tools to discuss what they are already doing and learn new practices to use with their children.

“In the past few years, especially since First Nations Health Authorities started, the people in this province started to heal. They started to heal; they started to change; they started to take back their power to heal themselves, their families, and their communities. And this is a program that will — a little [bit] — will help with that,” said Jacki McPherson, a member of the Okanagan Nation and the Okanagan Wellness Committee, a representative for Caring in All Directions, and the vice-chair of the CMHA B.C. Board of Directors.

“It’s a really long program but there’s a lot of really important, good videos. There’s a lot of really important, good information that goes to parents and kids. We have coaches who can help, we have people who are willing to help our families, which is really important.”

It was noted that the program can be accessed by anyone raising or caring for Indigenous children and youth.

The program also aligns with the First Nations Health Authority’s focus on transforming and reforming the way health care is delivered to people, children, youth and families in Indigenous communities.

“Working in partnership with the Big Worries/Fears Program has the potential to create pathways of innovation and reform how we provide services and programs to our First Nations children,” said Tammy Miles, vice-chair of the First Nations Health Authority board, adding that it is important to include First Nations people in the design and development of programs that serve their communities.

“As we paddle together to bring Big Worries and Fears Program to life, the First Nations Health Authority remains committed to our goals, our strategies and our priorities that support equitable access and quality to mental health and wellness services to children, youth and families. We also really believe that mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally, if we live our life in balance as Indigenous People, we can live up to our fullest potential.”

The importance of having culturally informed supports was also emphasized as children’s brains develop the most before the age of six, and having programs designed and developed by and for Indigenous Peoples can help create a strong sense of pride in their culture growing up.

“This program is culturally safe and trauma-informed and it will deliver that confidence, that support, that skills to Indigenous families, and that will mean positive, healthy outcomes for Indigenous children and youth,” said Mitzi Dean, Minister of Children and Family Development.

“I really appreciate all the partnerships, the collaborations with different agencies, and bringing in the strength and knowledge and wisdom.”

The new video resources can be found at the CMHA’s Big Worries/Fears website.