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Healed helpers begin counselling program

Self-healing counselling programs are very much needed in the community and across the region, said a recent graduate.

Dr. Claire Schnupp (instructor), back row from left, Mahi Syeda and Eileen Peters (assistant instructor), and Maliki Nakoolak and Jackie Nakoolak, front right, take part in a counselling program in Rankin Inlet this past month. photo courtesy of Noel Kaludjak

Noel Kaludjak said it's a 10-course program that takes about four years to complete.

He said the program contains lots of reading, studying and discussion.

“This course helps one deal with his or her own issues while, at the same time, learning about the human body and how it works on both the emotional and mental sides,” said Kaludjak.

“It teaches us from the time we are born, all the way up to adulthood, the effects of negative and positive impacts on our lives.

“And it teaches those taking the course how the negative effects really impact us in adulthood and how to deal with it.

“So, it teaches us a great many things that are not really taught in schools.”

Kaludjak said some parents don't understand why they react the way they do it certain situations while they're raising a family.

He said those who complete the program become healed helpers, and they're able to understand what the person they're helping is going through.

“We learn to help people who have addiction problems, family problems, dysfunctional problems, marriage problem, and most other issues they may have with themselves.

“We learn how to help them go through the healing process, and how to counsel them properly both mentally and emotionally.

“It's an all-around program that covers all most everything about a human being.”

Kaludjak said there is still a huge need for graduates from Schnupp's program.

He said the course is a bit different from anything found around the Kivalliq, and communities definitely need more trained helpers who understand the people of the region and their problems.

“This is especially true for Inuktitut-speaking counsellors because a lot of the people who need help speak mostly Inuktitut.

“Their passion and emotion is a lot stronger when they speak their own mother language.

“Yes, they can get help in English, but, when they are able to speak in Inuktitut about what they are really feeling, it helps them express themselves a lot better because Inuktitut is our first language.

“You look at those who have taken this program, like the staff at Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services in Rankin, and they're using what they learned to help a lot of people, and the same can be said about other places in Nunavut and, for that matter, around the world.”