Waseya Program
For holistic healing
The focus of the Waseya program is on holistic healing, covering all aspects of Residents' lives, from their arrival at the Center to the fulfillment of their healing plan. It combines sharing circles, individual therapies, practical activities, and academic and cultural development. Each Resident follows his or her own healing journey through different stages, according to his or her personalized plan and progress on the Healing Paths. The program includes specific healing components, offered in Circles or through hands-on activities, to help Residents develop skills and share experiences.
Power and Control
This section of the Waseya program tackles essential themes such as sexuality, violence, spirituality and culture, while helping Residents to better understand their own limits. The aim is to encourage a new approach to their issues, different from the one to which they are accustomed. Residents are invited to broaden their horizons by exploring new perspectives, and to open their minds to more nuanced thinking. They are guided in learning to use logic and common sense, while being encouraged to abandon the defense mechanisms and masks behind which they have often taken refuge. This enables them to face, with clarity, questions of blame, responsibility and acceptance of reality as it is.
Addictive Behaviors
In this component, the effects of addiction on individuals, families and communities are analyzed in depth. The aim is to provide Residents with comprehensive emotional, mental, spiritual and physical support to help them transform their behaviours. All abuses and traumas, whether physical, emotional or psychological, are addressed to enable them to let go. During this process, Residents also acquire practical tools they can use when faced with challenging situations.
The Roots of Anger
This section of the Waseya program gives Residents the opportunity to open up and share experiences that have had an impact on their lives, and where past events could have been changed if there had been good communication and the tools to manage their anger. We identify what is causing each resident's anger and why, and explore the source of their problems, teaching them to trust and not be afraid to open up. In this way, they learn the practice of managing anger so that it no longer dominates them.
Healthy Relationships
In this component, Residents become aware of the choices they have made in the past and the heavy consequences that have ensued. They learn to take responsibility for transforming these choices, freeing themselves from shame and opting to stop delinquent behavior. They also develop a healthier understanding of sexuality, realizing that harmonious relationships with others are impossible without first establishing a balanced relationship with themselves.
Living in the Community
This section of the program is aimed at Residents serving life or long-term sentences, to provide them with practical skills for everyday life, facilitating their readjustment to life on the outside after a long period of incarceration. As the outside world changes, they must learn to reintegrate into society. Living in the Community promotes deinstitutionalization by helping Residents to become self-sufficient, while encouraging them to manage their personal affairs responsibly. They learn skills such as budgeting, house-hunting, resume writing and job hunting. Theoretical and practical sessions enable Residents to put these life skills into practice on a daily basis.
Health and
Wellness
This component aims to teach Residents comprehensive practices for taking care of themselves, both physically and mentally. They learn not only the basics of body care and nutrition, but also how to adopt a balanced diet while integrating regular physical exercise into their routine. The aim is to enable them to restore harmony to their bodies and improve their general well-being, by developing a preventive and sustainable approach to health.
In addition to these practical aspects, the program places particular emphasis on the integration of indigenous beliefs and practices. These are studied and applied to offer a more holistic vision of health, taking into account not only physical well-being, but also emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions. This approach aims to help Residents understand that their overall health rests on the balance of these different aspects, and that maintaining this well-being requires a connection between these dimensions. This indigenous perspective strengthens the link between body, mind and spirit, leading to better rehabilitation and a more balanced life in the long term.
The Parental Role
This section begins by recognizing that parents are our first learning models, and that they exert a decisive influence on a child's development. The aim is to identify and understand abusive behaviors, actions, patterns and cycles, so that we can learn to replace them with healthier practices. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of not passing on traumas, either present or past, to the next generation, with the aim of breaking the cycle of abuse.
Traditions and Spirituality
Waseskun Healing Center recognizes the importance of reconnecting individuals with their cultural heritage as a vital component of their mental health and well-being. That's why, under the umbrella of the Waseya program, Waseskun offers a range of Aboriginal cultural and traditional activities, which will help the Resident to anchor themselves in their culture. Some are part of the Centre's daily routine, while others are offered as special sessions for specific periods of time.
