What Is Eclectic Social Work? (In the Northwest Territories/Nunavut)

Introduction

I came to the Northwest Territories in 2004 to learn first what a “Dene” was and to show them how I might help them.

The Dene people (/?d?n?/ DE-neh) (dene) are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. 

The wanting to save them came later. At the time I did not realize that they in fact would teach me much more than any of my three university degrees had taught me. This was also the first time I heard the words “Indian Residential School.” When it was explained to me what IRS was my immediate reaction was anger and disappointment. I thought to myself, was there a conspiracy of silence in our institutions? Where was free speech? Higher learning? Why had I not heard about this in my formal education? 

What came next was profound sorrow and shame for the pain and suffering that was inflicted not only on many IRS survivors but also successive generations. Like many non-indigenous social workers, I came north to primarily save indigenous peoples. Excuse my earlier colonial attitudes. 

Eight years later this is where I am as a social worker and person…my shift to reconciliation from a position of subliminal arrogance and ignorance, wanting to save indigenous peoples. My goodness, what has this attitude of saving really accomplished to date? Suicide rates, homelessness and addictions still run higher than most other places in Canada but that is for another article. (The Need To Respect and Support Self-Determination)

My clients have taught me about PTSD by their risking in sessions and sharing the sources of their traumas with me. Their courage and kindness has humbled me in so many ways. I feel so very privileged to be in their presence.  

Once I asked an elder “Do you ever get angry about what non-indigenous people have done to your people and what they might represent?” I play his reply repeatedly in my head. I share his response with colleagues and friends.

If you have never had contact with indigenous elders, I must tell you they often listen more than they speak. When they speak it is usually brief and profound. Here is what he said to me after I asked my question:  

” You are all our children and we are waiting for you to grow.”  

Now that may not resonate for others, but it did for me. I did ask him one more question, but first… In the beginning of working with IRS survivors I made some assumptions and mistakes. One mistake I made was I did not realize by asking clients right away, in the first couple of sessions, what was IRS like, that I might trigger a cascade of pain. I had to learn patience. We are so conditioned to see immediate results…short term therapy, solution focused and on and on… that we miss an important fact of PTSD. It can take years to help a client first feel safe enough to even begin to open up about their trauma. By the way, EAP programs are not appropriate for IRS survivors primarily because they are very session limited.

The question I asked the elder was “What was residential school like?” His answer made me cry…honestly. He said this:

 “When I went to sleep in the hallway in the dorm, because there where not enough beds, it was the sounds of sobbing children that put me to sleep.”

Eclectic Social Work

What is Eclectic Social Work? In the remote community’s I go to (Northwest Territories and Nunavut), many indigenous people do not have the same access to timely and appropriate health care. Some of my clients must wait for months to see a doctor or just learn to live or die with whatever the health issue might be. Some of the reasons include weather, staff turnover and positions remaining vacant. Most of the communities are only accessible by plane, boat, snowmobile and or ice roads. Just look Canadian North or First Air and how much a flight costs from Yellowknife to any of the communities they serve in either Nunavut or the Northwest Territories. At times it is so difficult to get the proper health care, that this is where I first heard from my clients the coined phrase “acetaminophen therapy.” I cannot mention the specific name brand for legal reasons. Indigenous clients seeking health care and being prescribed acetaminophen and sent home when in some cases, they needed more to be done. By the way you would not believe how expensive the costs associated with health care are in the north. 

When I see indigenous clients for the first time, I not only do an ‘intake’, but I also ask them about their health: their eyes, teeth, hearing etc. When your client is in physical pain, not only emotional pain, it is hard for them to participate in the counselling. I also ask if they have adequate heating, water, wood etc. You also learn to be eclectic in your thinking since specialized professional help can be far and few between. Trades are both expensive and limited up here. Respectfully, my message to new non-indigenous social workers thinking of working with indigenous clients in remote communities...learn something about the other professions and trades. Learn about residential school and learn about the culture your clients come from and live in.

I have over 300 contacts that I draw from for clients. Everything from heating, plumbing to engine repair, roofing and taxes. I have familiarized myself with various assessment tools, some of which are used by different professional occupations: Sensory Profile (neuropsychology), SASSI (Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory), SUDDS-5 (Substance Use Disorder Diagnostic-5), Beck Depression Inventory and DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale) to name a few. Step out of your learning box and read and talk with other professionals and trades. Don't be a specialized silo. You will, in many instances, be the first responder faced with many different needs that your client's might have. 

It is by developing eclectic thinking and practice that we can better help and support our clients.

 Raymond Pidzamecky B.A. B.S.W. M.S.W.

 Service Provider to Health Canada

Indian Residential School (survivors) program (IRS)

January 14/18