Organizations that provide mental health support to Canadians say they have been much busier helping traumatized people after Pope Francis arrived in Canada and apologized for wrongdoing by members of the Catholic Church.
“As soon as we settled in, before the pope gave his first speech on Monday, we had seen about 125 people come to see us in Maskwacis,” said Nola Jeffrey, executive director of the Tsow-Tun Le Lum Society, a center which provides traditional and cultural treatment in Lantzville, British Columbia.
Nola Jeffrey and her team of elders, survivors and people living with intergenerational trauma have been invited by British Columbia’s First Nations Health Authority and papal visit organizers to come to Alberta to lend their support as the pope apologized, for the first time in Canada, in front of residential school survivors and their families in Maskwacis, Alberta, south of Edmonton.
“After (the apology), people came to us in droves,” according to Nola Jeffrey. We stayed on until the last person who wanted help got it. »
Indigenous Services Canada said the federal government’s 24-hour crisis support line has received double the number of calls it usually handles since the pope arrived for his penitential visit. this week.
“Distress lines are receiving calls from across the country,” Kyle Fournier, spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada, said in an email Thursday. “Crisis line callers express a range of different emotions. For some, the pope’s visit and apology can be healing, and for others it can trigger action. Discussions about the harmful legacy of residential schools are important and can also be difficult for many. »
Kyle Fournier reported that, on average, the National Residential Schools Crisis Line has received 121 calls per day since last January. But on the day the pope apologized for the cultural destruction and forced assimilation of indigenous peoples, the number of callers jumped to 277. The next day, the hotline received 244 calls.
Kyle Fournier added that in Alberta, another 300 mental wellness and cultural support workers have been invited to attend papal events. Sixty workers have been asked to be in Quebec and 40 mental health workers are to be on site in Iqaluit for the papal visit, eight of whom are clinical advisers.
For the pope’s visit to Alberta, Nola Jeffrey said she drove up from British Columbia, carrying traditional medicine equipment, including cedar and spruce branches, with which people brush to release negative energy.
Many people also asked him to use cold water to wash the tears from their faces four times. Water helps balance emotions, she explained.
“The first wash is to honor the Creator, the second wash is to honor their ancestors, the third wash honors their territory, and the final wash is to honor the person themselves. »
Nola Jeffery recounted having also received a member of the clergy.
She stayed past midnight with her team in Lac Sainte-Anne, northwest of Edmonton, after Pope Francis went on a holy pilgrimage.
Ms. Jeffrey reports that the pope did not speak about how the children were raped, beaten, starved and humiliated. ‘ We have to make people feel good about themselves. So many are dying. »
Kyle Fournier reports that access to trauma-informed cultural and emotional support services, as well as professional mental health counseling, will continue to be available through the Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program Federal Government Indians.
‘Community supports vary from community to community and can include elder services, traditional healers, Indigenous health support providers and peer counsellors. Professional mental health counseling is also available through this program. »
Nola Jeffrey recalls that Indigenous peoples thrived for thousands of years before colonization. ‘Colonization is only a jolt in our history. It’s a painful time, but I know we can come out of this, be strong and prosper again.’
The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to help survivors of residential schools and their loved ones suffering from trauma invoked by the memory of past abuse. The phone number is 1-866-925-4419.