May 03, 2021
Program uses art, sharing circles to provide healing to Indigenous people
The Saskatoon Indian Métis Friendship Centre has offered a healing hand up to Indigenous people in need for years. But now, it’s formalizing it with a new mental health program called Sītoskawātowin — a Plains Cree word that means supporting each other.
The registered social workers and mental health therapists with the program, Charleen Cote and Shauna Watcheson, came up with the name through the guidance of elders.
“In our ways, we are not above others and we are not below — we’re all on the same level,” Watcheson said. “We wanted to make sure that we’re acknowledging that and that we’re appreciating the people who we work with because they teach us every day.”