Missing Someone No Longer Around?

Grief Support Group • First Thursday of Every Month • 5:30pm-7:30pm CST
(Virtual-Everyone Welcome)

This group meets virtually on Zoom Thursday, June 1st and the first Thursday of each month. Open to the public, Living Through Healing support circle will provide a grief counseling session where participants can express themselves, find empathetic counselors who can help shoulder the burden of loss and grief. This group is part of the White Bison Mending Broken Hearts Curriculum.

About Sarina:
Sarina Thate Othunwahe (Windy City) DiMaso Is the Recovery Relapse Peer Support Prevention Counselor at AIHSC. Sarina has managed and coordinated peer, addiction, recovery, mental health, behavioral health and wellness programs as part of her 20 years in the medical field. Sarina recently received her Certification as Personal Fitness Trainer with Native American Fitness Council, and chairs Wellbriety/White Bison Recovery meetings.

About Shandiin:
Shandiin has a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. She also obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of New Mexico. Shandiin has extensive experience working with different age groups and families in a variety of environments.

Please sign up at our EventBrite page to receive a Zoom link to the virtual group meeting.
Details about the group and virtual setting can be found there.

About the Mending Broken Hearts Curriculum

Inter-generational Trauma Healing

Mending Broken Hearts focuses on an approach to addressing inter-generational trauma for the purpose of healing. Mending Broken Hearts teaches about the trauma from stripping away the culture, community, elders’ teachings, spirituality, language, values and ceremonies from Native Americans. Historically, this trauma occurred generations ago, as a consequence of mission and boarding schools that the Native American youth were forced into. This shift resulted in trauma— the taking away of an identity, values, having native languages silenced, even sexual and physical abuse.

The pain from this trauma is still felt, seven generations later. We are committed to breaking this cycle. Some of the biggest roadblocks to addiction treatment for Native Americans are addressing this inter-generational trauma, the generations of substance abuse and addiction, generations of shame and generations of abuse. We use the knowledge from this training to address the very real and ever-present root emotions of anger, guilt, shame, and fear— so that we can make room for healing.

By participating in a White Bison curriculum, people learn culturally influenced techniques to benefit recovery from addiction in Native communities. Facilitators receive coaching to successfully integrate sobriety, recovery, addiction prevention, and wellness practices.