​​​As part of the FNHA's response to the toxic-drug crisis, which is disproportionately impacting First Nations people in BC, we are training people who have lost loved ones to toxic drug poisoning to lead grief support groups.

Called Healing Indigenous Hearts, these groups will aim to help Indigenous people move together from grief towards healing and hope. They will be bereavement circles where participants, led by trained peer facilitators, can share stories and memories of their loved ones in a safe environment without shame or judgement.

The Healing Indigenous Hearts team, which is made up of members of the FNHA's Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO), has been travelling around BC providing HIH peer facilitator training sessions in First Nations communities and urban areas. So far, we have conducted sessions in Fort St. James, Williams Lake, Powell River, and the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. We are using a resource we developed entitled Healing Indigenous Hearts (HIH) as a guidebook for training peer-support facilitators.

Cowichan Tribes Elder Doreen Peter, who is our cultural adviser, notes that the HIH Guidebook offers education as well as a culturally safe, Indigenous-informed framework for facilitating support groups.

“It shares our cultural and traditional practices alongside evidence-based healing methods," she says. “Together, these help create sacred spaces for grieving individuals to share their experiences of grief and loss."

“Gathering with others who have faced similar tragedies can be empowering and validating, showing our people they're not alone. And sharing culture, protocols, and traditions with family and community helps honour our loved ones and carry on their legacy."

Participants of training events have so far provided positive feedback.

Courtney Harrop, Tla'amin Nation's Harm-Reduction Coordinator, says Tla'amin was pleased to have hosted the Healing Indigenous Hearts facilitator training for three Nations in their region in 2024. “People in community have been asking for something like this. Now that we've done the training, we're looking forward to launching our first circle in late August or early September!"

Dr. Evan Adams, FNHA Deputy Chief Medical Officer, who is also from Tla'amin, says he believes people feel empowered personally and professionally by the training sessions. “I hope they are fortified not just by the knowledge they acquire, but by the relationships forged and the reminder why this work is so important," he said. “I also hope people will remember this good feeling of getting ready together to do this work."

For more information about bringing training sessions for Healing Indigenous Hearts bereavement support group facilitators to your community, simply email us at cmo.office@fnha.ca. It is through the compassion and strength of spirit of volunteer facilitators that we can honour the lives lost and support the healing of those left behind.