CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of Indian Residential Schools, Assimilation, Ongoing Harm, and Colonial Impacts.
September 30th is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. It’s a time for reflection, learning, and taking action. It’s a day to honour the children who never returned home, the survivors of residential schools, and their families and communities.
At BCSS, we recognize we recognize that reconciliation is not only about acknowledging the past, it’s also about building a future rooted in equity, healing, and mental wellness.
The history of trauma and mental illness for Canadian First Nations
The residential school system inflicted deep and lasting trauma on Indigenous Peoples across Canada. Generations of children were forcibly removed from their families, stripped of their language and culture, and subjected to abuse and neglect. The psychological impact of these experiences continues to reverberate today, contributing to disproportionately high rates of mental illness, substance use, and suicide among Indigenous communities.
As a mental health organization, BCSS understands that trauma is a powerful determinant of mental health. Notably, intergenerational trauma can manifest as anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, and psychosis, conditions that are often misunderstood or misdiagnosed.
For Indigenous persons living with schizophrenia or other serious mental illnesses, the barriers to care are compounded by systemic racism, stigma, and a lack of culturally safe services (like land acknowledgments, sacred spaces for ceremony, and prioritizing the recruitment of Indigenous staff to foster trust and representation). These practices help reduce systemic harm, improve clinical outcomes, and affirm the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples to culturally grounded healing.
For individuals and families navigating serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, these challenges can be overwhelming. At BCSS, we believe that mental health support must be trauma-informed, community-driven, and culturally respectful.
Reconciliation means listening, learning, and acting.
For nearly 40 years, BCSS has been supporting, helping, and advocating for Indigenous families to help them access the information and resources necessary to care for loved ones who live with serious mental illness. We remain committed to addressing inequalities within the healthcare system and advocating for families to get the resources and information they need when they need it.
For BCSS, this includes:
- Developing Strengthening Families Together Indigenous (SFT-I)
A new mental health program inspired by Indigenous healing practices, designed for families and friends supporting a loved one with mental illness. Upon approval, BCSS will begin training facilitators to collaborate with Indigenous communities to deliver the program across the province.
- Participating in San’yas Core Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) Mental Health Training
BCSS staff are actively engaging in this training to deepen their understanding of colonial history, systemic racism, and the importance of cultural safety in mental health care.
- Promoting awareness and education around reconciliation and mental health
Through blogs, social media, and community events, BCSS is helping to raise awareness about the intersection of colonial history and mental illness.
- Engaging in ongoing relationship-building with Indigenous communities
BCSS encourages staff to engage in learning opportunities, cultural events, and reflection to deepen their understanding of reconciliation and cultural safety.
- Celebrating Indigenous voices in media and education
BCSS staff member Reneé Morven (pictured below) is featured in the Knowledge Network’s three-part documentary series In the Wake of Our Ancestors, airing on September 30, 2025. Her participation highlights the importance of storytelling, cultural resilience, and representation in the journey toward reconciliation.
Reconciliation is not a one-day event, it’s a lifelong commitment. At BCSS, we are dedicated to walking alongside Indigenous communities in the journey toward mental wellness. This means listening deeply, learning continuously, and acting with integrity. Read BCSS’s Commitment to Reconciliation here.
On Truth and Reconciliation Day, we invite our community to reflect, engage, and take meaningful steps toward change. Whether it’s attending a local event, reading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, or supporting Indigenous-led mental health initiatives, every action matters. It’s not about what you do on the day, it’s about all that you do year-round, all the research, reading, listening, and learning. The discussions and discovering of truths about this country’s history.
Together, we can build a future where mental health care is inclusive, respectful, and healing for all.
Support Resources Available
- Indian residential School Survivors & Family Crisis Link
- The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their Residential school experience. This line is also available to family of former students.
- 1-866-925-4419
- KUU-US Crisis Line Society
- First Nations and Aboriginal specific crisis line 24/7, regardless of where individuals reside in BC. 1-800-KUU-US17 (1-800-588-8717)
- Child and Youth Text line: 250-723-2040
- Adult and Elder line: 250-723-4050
- First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Helpline: Online chat or phone line available at 1-855-242-3310
- Kids Help Phone: Online chat or phone line available at 1-800-668-6868
- National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Toll-free Support Phone Line: 1-844-413-6649
- Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
- Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program
- Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society: 1-800-721-0066
- KUU-US Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717