Connecting with First Nations, Métis and Inuit Elders is a sacred way to seek mental health support. Elders can offer insight into traditional practices and medicines. They use culture, ceremony, and connections to support people. They model healthy ways of thinking and being in the world, and teach community members to honour themselves, their families, their community, and the land they come from.
What is a Friendship Centre?
One way to find Elders for counselling or wellness support is to reach out to a Friendship Centre.
Friendship Centres are not-for-profit, Indigenous-led, social service organizations that work to promote, develop, and deliver accessible programs and services that support Indigenous peoples living in urban areas and away from home. Many centres also help non-Indigenous people who ask for help.
Friendship Centres provide a wide range of holistic, wrap-around programs and services to communities—youth, child and family wellness, employment and training, education, health, economic development, language, culture and arts, preventing violence, sport and recreation, and community outreach.
There are 25 Friendship Centres in BC. Check for a location near you.
Whether by phone, email or in-person, you can make an appointment to speak with an Elder and ask about protocol. Protocol refers to cultural norms around receiving knowledge and wisdom from an Elder. For example, in some Nations it is honourable to bring a small gift or card of appreciation to give to the Elder who is helping you.
You can also find Elders by contacting provincial or national organizations.
The BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) is the umbrella organization for Friendship Centres across the province. It promotes the betterment of Friendship Centres in BC, communicates with the National Association of Friendship Centres, and supports the development of programs to improve the quality of life for First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples living in BC.
Thunderbird Partnership Foundation is a national organization that advocates for culturally based substance use and mental wellness services. Thunderbird offers a variety of resources (guidebooks, toolkits, fact sheets, Thunderbird Wellness app, training curriculum) to support First Nations in their community planning.
The Medicine Wheel
Many Elders and Knowledge Keepers use the Medicine Wheel to describe holistic wellness. The teachings of the Medicine Wheel vary across Nations, but many communities in BC and beyond use it to talk about balance in the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual parts of life.
Learn about the Medicine Wheel and explore an activity that features its teachings.
Learn more about yourself and ways to get help
Take a Self-Assessment
These self-assessment tools are designed to help you reflect on areas such as overall quality of life, anxiety, and substance use. Use them as a personal tool to gain insight into your current wellness and to consider what next steps might be helpful for you.
What is wellness?
Feeling your best begins with knowing what wellness looks and feels like to you as well as by exploring skills and strategies to get there.
How to find a counsellor
Finding a counsellor can feel like a big step, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are some ways to explore your options and find a professional who feels like the right fit.
What is therapy?
Therapy can be a valuable space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and challenges with a trained professional. Learn more about the different types of therapy and how they can help.