~ WHAT'S NEXT?

~ WHAT GOALS DO I HAVE FOR MY CAREER IN SOCIAL WORK?

~ AND WHY?

STILL I RISE WELLNESS HEALING LODGE

This ISN'T a Treatment Centre.
We DON'T “fix” people. We DON'T “treat” symptoms.
We hold space, offer tools, and walk with you.

This is a Healing Lodge.
Rooted in truth, not pity.
Built on trust, not power trips.
Focused on real healing — not band-aid solutions.

Come as you are. Leave with your fire.
Because here, you’re not a case.
You’re a whole damn human.

Goal Digger with a Social Justice Twist

Don’t Talk to Me, I’m Hibernating from Humanity

Short-Term: What’s Next?

 

Before all my big plans unfold, I’ve got some real-life steps to take:

  • Nail my interview tomorrow.

 

  • Hopefully secure a position working in a group home with youth (ages 13–24).

 

  • Work for one year, save money, and get ready for my move to the Island.

 

  • Throw the biggest celebration party you’ve ever seen!

 

  • Deep clean my house, tan, eat, sleep, rest... and sleep again.

 

  • Then, it’s grind time. One dream at a time.

Long-Term Goals & My Why

Why am I building this?

 

  • Because the systems failed my people—and I refuse to repeat that cycle.

  • Because I’ve lived through what others just read about in textbooks.

  • Because I know what it’s like to want help but be turned away for “not being clean enough.”

  • Because healing can’t happen in shame—but it can thrive in love.

 

Legend in the Making: No Degree Can Teach This Hustle

The Path Ahead: My 5-Year Plan

 

  • 2026: Move to Victoria and begin the Indigenous-focused BSW program at University of Victoria.

  • 2028: Graduate and immediately pursue my Master of Social Work.

  • 2029–2030: Open the doors to The Healing Lodge. I will serve as Clinical Director and Therapist. And an equal to those I serve. 

 

Keep building. Keep dreaming.

Keep showing others that healing is possible, and no one is too far gone.

GOAL DIGGER WITH A SOCIAL JUSTICE TWIST

Wrapped in truth, NOT silence. Built on connection, unconditional love, and a few new skills; NOT shame.

Welcome to The Healing Lodge—my long-term dream and future reality: a trauma-informed, harm-reduction-based, Indigenous-rooted healing centre created for us, by one of us. A place where healing isn’t earned. It’s your birthright.

I envision this lodge as a refuge and revolution. A place that doesn’t ask you to “get clean” before you get loved. A space where "relapse" NEVER feels like shame or punishment—but a message that more care is needed. A sacred space that believes your trauma came first—and your healing must come next.

This will be a centre of hope, rooted in the Seven Sacred Teachings, art, culture, evidence-based practice, community, radical acceptance, and programming right from the FESA facilitators guides. 

The Blueprint: What My Healing Lodge Will Offer

Healing isn’t predictable — it moves in waves, not timelines

At my healing Lodge, we focus on creating a space where people feel safe, seen, and supported — not judged or rushed. We understand that healing isn’t linear, and that trauma shows up in different ways for everyone. So, our work is rooted in relationships, trust-building, and meeting people where they’re at.

We focus on being trauma-informed, which means we prioritize emotional safety, choice, and consistency. We don’t pathologize behaviour — we try to understand it. Whether someone is dealing with mental health challenges, addiction, or just trying to survive, we recognize that those responses often come from a place of pain, not weakness.

We also focus on cultural safety, harm reduction, and empowerment — especially for folks who’ve been historically silenced or marginalized.

 

We’re not here to fix people.

We’re here to walk alongside them

1. Come As You Are Groups

 

  • No sobriety requirement!! No shame!! No hierarchy!!

  • Come drunk. Come high. Come exhausted. Come masked or raw.

  • We will love you. No matter how you come.

  • These groups are about meeting people exactly where they’re at, not where we wish they were.

 

We focus on:

 

  • Mutual support, trauma, and connection.

  • Unlearning shame

  • Building trust in community

  • Offering consistency, not control

    ~Lets work on your trauma and get to the root of the cause, but at your pace. You lead the way and we will walk beside you.

    ~We will ask "What happened to you?" NOT- "Whats wrong with you?"

2. Art, Story, and Expression Therapy

 

Not everyone speaks their truth in words. 

That’s why art is medicine here.

 

We’ll offer:

Paint therapy circles

-Beading and traditional crafts

-Spoken word/storytelling nights

-Journaling sessions

-Body mapping and trauma release through creativity

3. Skills for Surviving and Thriving

 

Your pain didn’t come with a manual—but we’ll help you build one.

 

Workshops and groups will include:

  • DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy)

  • CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)

  • Emotional regulation and distress tolerance

  • Mindfulness, meditation, and grounding

  • Interpersonal effectiveness and boundary-setting

  • Land-based healing

 

4.Staff Who Get It

 

Every staff member will have lived experience.

That’s a requirement, not a risk.

 

No one will be punished or shamed for being open about their own struggles. In fact, we expect transparency, growth, and humanity.

 

We believe:

~ Disclosure- from both staff and the people we serve is ALWAYS seen as STRENGTH and will NEVER  be punished.

~ Survivors make the best healers

~ We heal together, not alone

Rooted in the Seven Sacred Teachings

This Lodge will be deeply guided by Indigenous knowledge and the Seven Sacred Teachings- Which will shape how we support one another:

 

Teaching How It Lives in the Lodge

Truth We speak and live our truths, even when it’s messy or painful. Your story is sacred.

Courage It takes courage to heal. You already have it. We’ll walk beside you while you find more.

Love Unconditional. Full stop. No tests. No strings. Just love.

Respect You are the expert of your life. We honor all paths. We meet you with dignity, always.

Humility We are learners too. There are no “better than” roles here—just kinship and care.

Honesty We tell the truth about addiction, about pain, about our pasts. And we honor yours.

Wisdom We blend Western tools with traditional teachings. The old and new work together here.