Program support is offered by Edmonton Heyoka Healing Society’s (EHHS) team of Indigenous counselling professionals, registered social workers, outreach workers, community elders and volunteers. All EHHS programs are offered to participants entirely free of charge and we actively work to reduce barriers to attendance such as transportation and child care.

If you are seeking support and are interested in accessing one of our programs, please email contact@edmontonheyoka.org.

Program spaces are limited and not guaranteed. All supports provided are subject to an intake process.

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Healthy Relations: Violence Prevention Program

This program aims to address the ongoing impact of colonial violence and the systemic gaps and barriers that Indigenous communities face and, in particular, Indigenous womenfolk face in securing safety and wellness for themselves and their families. The multidisciplinary wellness team at EHHS will focus on the complex-needs of survivors of Gender Based Violence through dignified, trauma-informed counselling and Elder and cultural supports. Support is provided by Indigenous counsellors who have their own lived experiences of family violence and specialize in intervening in family violence within an Indigenous context. Our Elders also play a pivotal role in the delivery of services, providing healing circles and one-on-one support. By focusing on supporting womenfolk who are at-risk of experiencing Gender Based Violence or have survived violence and want to increase the wellness of their familial relationships we hope to restore harmony in the lives of families and communities.

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Kookums: Beading to Wellness Program (now closed)

This program honours the role of women and mothers as the foundation of healthy communities. It is focused for Indigenous Kookums, women 55 years or older, but all who are interested in learning or in need of healing are welcome. The Beading to Wellness program addresses the holistic wellness of our seniors through traditional wellness practices, interwoven with an understanding of our historical trauma, and practical support, aimed at optimizing participant health. Our programming is focused on supporting and facilitating a safe space in which the seniors of our community can pass on their knowledge and wisdom to others including our Indigenous youth. As an integral part of our program, we assist participants with their healing journey by offering a monthly beading circle led by recognized and esteemed community Elders. By co-creating this space with our community seniors, we promote intergenerational healing through the transferring and preservation of traditional artforms like beading, while at the same time strengthening relational bonds and support networks with others in the community.

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Pathways to Life Program (now closed)

The phenomenon of murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited individuals is one that comes about as a result of complex, interwoven sociocultural factors. This includes the influence of governmental policies and mandates of historical agencies, such as Children Services, that are rooted in colonialist agendas. Embedded in the Pathways to Life program is a culturally relevant service-delivery model that is enveloped by an Indigenous way of life and worldview. This program is designed to support family members of the missing and murdered as well as Indigenous persons that have survived the terror and trauma of being missing or having an attempt made on their life. This program offers specialized support, multidimensional interventions and wholistic approaches to heal the body, mind, and spirit, helping participants to find a meaningful life beyond the trauma of loss and violence. Delivered primarily by Indigenous staff and leadership, our agency offers culturally safe and trauma-informed counselling for mental health, social work support to aid in navigating systemic barriers to success, and outreach services to assist with practical issues that surface for those vulnerable participants attempting to move forward with their lives.

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Food Sustainability Program (now closed)

This program will assist clients in addressing the additional food costs currently faced by many families. Food insecurity has become an increasingly large problem demonstrating a negative impact on mental and physical health, as well as, increased levels of stress on many Indigenous peoples. With the rising cost of living, some clients have had to prioritize their limited funds towards shelter, leaving little left to afford food. This program began providing practical assistance connecting clients with community food relief programs during the Covid-19 pandemic, but has been continued due to ongoing inflation and community demand. Trained EHHS Social Workers assist clients with accessing local food programs, creating budgets and meal plans, and overall increasing food sovereignty and security.

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Shockproofing Communities: Safer, Stronger Women Program (now closed)

In partnership with the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation and The Indigenous Health Program (IHP) located therewithin, the Safer, Stronger Women program supports outpatients’ referred by these health agencies. The Royal Alexandra Hospital is a tertiary care centre that has a significant history of servicing Northern Indigenous peoples that require specialized medical care. Northern peoples can become dislocated from their home communities while accessing resources in the Edmonton region and as a result of complex factors, do not return home often becoming high-risk for homelessness. Upon patient consent, this program will provide outpatient services to Indigenous women, girls, two-spirited individuals and those who have faced Gender Based Violence. Referents will engage with EHHS staff in the creation of a Wholistic Wellness Plan that addresses identified needs and outcomes, utilizing an approach rooted in Medicine Wheel teachings and an empathetic understanding of disadvantaged social determinants of health.

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Indigenous Community Support Fund (COVID) Program (now closed)

The supports that this program provides is to assist in reminding vulnerable community members that they are not alone as they are navigating the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have trained professionals ready to help you navigate the parts of your life that have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This could focus on securing food for yourself and your family, finding employment, or applying for benefits. If the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in you feeling depressed, anxious, or overly stressed, we have professionals that are available to talk and support you. Ceremony is a way that we can come together as Indigenous people. Elders are available to support you one-on-one, as well, as in a group format. All supports are either in-person, by telephone, or on zoom.