The Mental Wellness Team provides culturally responsive mental wellness and support services to the seven member communities of The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM). Team members assist individuals and families in navigating provincial and federal health, mental wellness, and social service systems; provide emotional, cultural, and wellness support; assist with referrals and access to services; develop individualized wellness plans; advocate on behalf of clients; and deliver community-based workshops, education sessions, and wellness programming that promote holistic health and well-being.

The Mental Wellness Team also delivers a range of community-based programs and supports for First Nations individuals and families impacted by historical and ongoing colonial harms. Services include emotional and cultural support, assistance accessing available settlement and compensation processes, advocacy, referrals, and connections to aftercare and healing services. Through a holistic and trauma-informed approach, the team works to acknowledge and address the intergenerational impacts of Indian Residential Schools, Indian Day Schools, the Sixties Scoop, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+), child welfare involvement, and other forms of historical and contemporary trauma affecting Indigenous communities.

In addition to Indigenous Wellness Support Workers, the team includes a Regional Service Coordinator (Child Welfare Settlement), who supports individuals and families accessing services related to child welfare settlements and healing initiatives, and a 2Spirit Wellness Coordinator, who provides culturally safe, inclusive, and affirming wellness supports for Two-Spirit, LGBTQIA+, and gender-diverse community members. Together, the Mental Wellness Team promotes healing, resilience, connection to culture, and improved access to wellness services across the Mainland Mi’kmaq communities of Nova Scotia.