Healing Traditions

Kirmayer and Valaskakis' Healing Traditions is a comprehensive guide to the role of Aboriginal history, culture, and identity in mental health and healing. Well-written and readable, this book should become the important source for mental health professionals working with indigenous peoples. Healing Traditions is a fitting tribute to Dr. Gail Valaskakis. -- Malcolm King, Principal Investigator, Alberta ACADRE Network, University of Alberta, and Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health, Edmonton

Aboriginal people in Canada have diverse cultures but share common social and political challenges that have contributed to their experiences of health and illness. This collection addresses the origins of mental health and social problems and the emergence of culturally responsive approaches to services and health promotion.Aboriginal peoples in Canada have diverse cultures but share common social and political challenges that have contributed to their experiences of health and illness. This collection addresses the origins of mental health and social problems and the emergence of culturally responsive approaches to services and health promotion. Healing Traditions is not a handbook of practice but a resource for thinking critically about current issues in the mental health of indigenous peoples. Cross-cutting themes include: the impact of colonialism, sedentarization, and forced assimilation; the importance of land for indigenous identity and an ecocentric self; and processes of healing and spirituality as sources of resilience.