The Fire Within, Indigenous Social Work Voices: Recent Episodes
Kenena Thompson
Indigenous social work students spend time with Elders, traditional resource people, and social work educators/practitioners and discuss teachings, lived experiences, and gain wisdom from those who have created their own paths of healing.
Elizabeth Carlson-Manathara's Swedish, Sámi, German, Scots-Irish, and English ancestors settled on lands of the Anishinaabe and Omaha Nations, which were unethically obtained by the US government. She considers herself to be both complicit in, and resisting, settler colonialism on lands occupied by the Canadian State. Liz is currently learning to live as a treaty relative of the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850 while working as an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Laurentian University. She has 10+ years of experience as a school social worker in alternative (Indigenous), cross-cultural (St. Lucian), and mainstream K-12 schools, and over eight years as a therapist in private practice, a youth treatment centre, and an EAP program. Her practice is increasingly anti-oppressive and anti-colonial, and she seeks to integrate decolonial principles and practices into her clinical and social change work. With the work she continues to do, she has written a book that launched May 17!
https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/living-in-indigenous-sovereignty
Eugenia Eshkawkogan, ISWK student interviewed Liz and asked her the following questions:
- What inspired you to create a book about Living in Indigenous Sovereignty?
- What does living in Indigenous sovereignty mean to you?
- What do you want non-Indigenous people to get out of reading the stories from your book?
Today’s episode is about Critical Thinking and How Research Plays a Role in Social Work. Our special guest today is the co-owner of Living Potential----James Bolan. Living Potential is a holistic counselling and support services firm providing individual and family services with particular focus on substance abuse and mental health supports. James brings in over 20 years of lived and professional experience in delivering ethical counseling services. He is a certified Addictions Counsellor and works closely with multiple agencies in the Greater Sudbury Area collaborating with them to provide numerous services within his scope of practice.