Indigenous Wellness Services

What to Expect

• You may be asked to fill out a form providing basic information via email (the link will be sent to you) if your information is not in the system currently. This information allows the system we use to send you appointment reminders and updates your information.
• The Indigenous Therapist’s office is in the Writing Symbols lodge. It is a smudge friendly space.
• During your first session, you will have confidentiality and privacy policies explained to you. Then you will spend some time getting to know your counsellor and identifying some of the challenges you may be experiencing. This is an opportunity for you to share why you have decided to seek support and discuss what your goals are in attending counselling.
• Counselling can look like many different things; from traditional talk therapy to participating in ceremony. There are several reasons to seek counselling, some may include (but not limited to) anxiety, depression, being far from home, grief and loss, identity issues, and relationship issues.
• The therapist may provide external referrals to other resources to support your wellness.

ᐅᑭᒫᐘᐱᐤ ᐃᐢᑵᐤ Lisa L'Hirondelle

Indigenous Therapist

BA, BSW, MSW, RSW
(she/her) 

Taanishi /Tansi

My Cree name okimawapiw iskwew (Boss Lady Sitting Woman) 

My Blackfoot name is Miist Kiiotsskoisisttsi (Mountain Bluebird Woman) 

I am Metis Cree/French. My father's family (Blyan, Blandion, Buffalo, Lewis) is from Buffalo Lake Metis Settlement and my mother’s paternal family (L’Hirondelle, Longmore)  is from the Lac La Nonne area and Papaschase First Nation. My mother’s maternal family (Atkinson, Boudreau, Okanes) lived on a road allowance along the Vermilion River in central Alberta.  I was born in Treaty 6 territory and now reside in Treaty 7 territory. I am a member of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government. 

As a nehiyaw onîsôhkamâkêw (Cree helper) in wellness my goal is to provide culturally relevant and meaningful supports to Indigenous students. By honoring Indigenous knowledge and experiences and using a balance of Indigenous approaches to wellness with appropriate and respectful mainstream approaches, Indigenous students can feel comfortable exploring the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of themselves on their wellness journeys.

To book, email indigenouswellness@ucalgary.ca or complete appointment request form. 

What to expect:

The Student Support Advisor can help Indigenous students navigate their university journey, fostering student wellbeing, success, and connection through the following services:

• Holistic Support: Addressing mental and physical health as well as financial, cultural, emotional, academic, social, and recreational needs.
• Problem Solving: Collaboratively creating plans to navigate challenges and university systems, policies, and processes.
• Skills and Techniques: Exploring and helping to build and incorporate cultural practices, coping skills, techniques, strengths, and self-care.
• Goal setting: Outlining and supporting accountability to meaningful goals through supportive check ins.
• Resource referrals: Connecting students to on-campus and off-campus resources, ensuring that appropriate supports are in place.
• Advocacy: Communicating with current supports and providing supporting documentation to advocate for student needs.

Hanna Woodward

Indigenous Student Support Advisor

BSW, RSW 
(she/her) 

I am a mixed Inuk woman from Labrador. I was born in Happy Valley Goose Bay and have kinship ties to the coast of Labrador and Northen Peninsula of Newfoundland. My Inuit roots are on my mother’s side (Curl, Clark, Winters, Morris). Until 1953, they lived the traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, spending winters in Roaches Brook to hunt caribou, trap fur-bearing animals, and cut firewood with the help of their dog team and komatik, and shifting to Spotted Island in the spring, summer, and fall to fish, pick berries, and hunt birds and seals. My father’s family (Woodward, Laing) comes from the northern tip of Newfoundland, a small community called North Boat Harbour. They were mostly of British and Scottish heritage and arrived Newfoundland in the 17-1800s to fish. I now live and work on Treaty 7 territory in Mohkinstis (Calgary, Alberta). 

As an Indigenous Social Worker, my goal is to offer culturally grounded and relational supports to Indigenous students. I strive to create spaces where Indigenous students feel safe and comfortable asking for help by providing support that honours their identity, culture, and lived experiences. I am committed to empowering Indigenous students to succeed and thrive within systems that were not built for them by fostering belonging, self-determination, and holistic wellness.

To book, email hanna.woodward@ucalgary.ca, book online here, or complete appointment request form.

Hanna is available for drop-in at Writing Symbols Lodge on Wednesdays from 1 - 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.