The Resident Wellness Office could not be more thrilled to announce that we are now offering Elder Support as of April 2022.
We are honoured to have been connected with Elder Jean Wasegijig who is Odawa First Nation, from the Wikwemikoong Reserve in northern Ontario. Elder Jean is of the Bear Clan and her traditional name is “Good Medicine Woman” a name that was given to her at a Sundance Ceremony in Montana. Elder Jean participates in ceremonies and cultural traditions. She is a mother and grandmother. As a mature student Elder Jean graduated with an Associate of Applied Arts degree at Douglas College and majored in Psychology at Simon Fraser University, before pursuing Substance Abuse Counselling training at the University of the Fraser Valley. Elder Jean has worked in the counselling field in corrections, treatment center and in the community, as well as providing Elder’s teachings. Elder Jean, with her counselling experience and Elder’s teachings has graciously offered her services to help support our residents and we are grateful to be partnering with and learning from her.
This is currently a pilot program so at this time there are a limited number of Elder counselling appointments available but we hope to be able to make this an ongoing support. This support will be for all residents in the Indigenous Family Medicine program to begin, however Indigenous Residents will be prioritized. Residents accessing this support will be asked to confirm if they are Indigenous or Non-Indigenous when booking.
Elder Support will be temporarily paused for the months of June and July due to vacations. To book a session with Elder Jean in August onward please complete the Elder Support Request Form or to inquire further please email resident.wellness@ubc.ca and make the subject line “Elder Support”.
