Mino Bimaadiziwin - Conversations on Addictions and Mental Wellness

Carol Hopkins sits down with Shontelle Prokipcak, a social worker, psychotherapist, and registered addiction specialist with Mental Health and Addiction Services Ottawa. Shontelle shares powerful insights into the deep connection between trauma and addiction, explaining how healing means addressing the root causes beneath behavior.

Theresa Crow Spreading His Wings is the founder of Gathering Our Bundles, a leadership and healing platform rooted in love, truth, and cultural safety. A survivor of the Sixties scoop, Theresa specializes in trauma-informed care, decolonizing leadership, and system navigation for Indigenous communities. She is a Blackfoot First Nations woman from the Blood Tribe in Treaty 7 Territory in Standoff, Alberta. Her work is grounded in Blackfoot values and teachings.

Koral Hamilton is a program manager with Feathers of Hope, an Indigenous youth advocacy nonprofit organization, based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Koral is a proud Metis woman with roots in the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. She is our guest on Mino Bimaadiziwin for an important conversation about bridging the gap between detox and long term addiction recovery treatment.

Dr. Butt is a retired Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He served for 24 years as a consultant in Addiction Medicine in the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

How the Talking Stick program is helping to fill crucial gaps by allowing quick and anonymous access to a safe place, providing emotional support, while empowering Indigenous voices, and creating jobs for Indigenous people.