This week (April 8-12) is Misitissini’s first-ever Wellness Week, but the healing process in that community began over a year and a half ago.
“For the past year, we’ve been been working really hard on sexual abuse healing,” said Helen Iserhoff, Mistissini’s Community Health Representative.
The community woke up to the pain of the people a few years ago, when a 15 year old girl committed suicide. That same summer, many youths in Mistissini also attempted to takes their lives. “When we started to talk to the youth, the main reason they talked about was sexual abuse,’ said Iserhoff. “I think that summer was the turning point”.
Now, a sexual abuse counsellor visits the community every two months to work on an individual basis with the survivors of abuse.
“More and more people are coming forward and looking for help,” said Iserhoff. “He is very good. Almost every visit he has a new client.”
