Deninu Kųę́ First Nation healing program 'making a difference' in Fort Resolution, N.W.T.

Since January, Deninu Kųę́ First Nation has been running an on-the-land healing program in Fort Resolution, N.W.T., and facilitators say it's already changing lives.

The six-week initiative, called Healing Our Way, combines trauma-based therapy with traditional land-based practices. It's hosted in the centre of the community, where participants can access support without leaving their community.

Ruby Prince and her husband, Francois, co-own NEYU Professional Services in Fort St. James, B.C. For over a decade, they've been offering prevention and wellness programming in Fort Resolution, including suicide prevention, residential school healing, and addiction recovery.

"We've seen youth that have empowered themselves and are now in college and university," Ruby said. "We've seen people who are long-term alcoholics find their [sobriety] journey."

The program can take up to 12 people at a time. Participants stay in donated trailers that have been converted to provide accommodation and support for the program participants. Sessions also include time on the land at places like Mission Island and Little Buffalo.

Ruby said participants continue to see their family and community members throughout the program, which helps them stay connected and supported and not separated from everyday life.

"They're getting connected back to their own roots," she said. "When they're dealing with their trauma, they're able to work through it from the lens of where they come from."

She said healing in the community lets people work through their trauma in real time, and in the same environment they're learning to navigate. That's something people don't get when they seek treatment outside of the territory, Ruby says.

​​"As soon as they're back in community, they're feeling the trauma all over again," she said. "Everything that they were able to put away while they were in [a] treatment program slowly creep back in."

Three sessions have taken place since January in Fort Resolution. Ruby said that while the program prioritizes local residents, she now has a waiting list of people from elsewhere.

"I have applicants from all over the Northwest Territories that want to come," she said. "It's making a difference."

Ruby said an important part of the program is ensuring it's rooted in local knowledge. Instead of bringing in an outside team, she works with people from Fort Resolution and surrounding communities, including local elders, to lead and support the healing work.

"Community members helping community members," is how she described it.