"Wise Practices": Integrating traditional teachins with mainstream treatment approaches

Abstract

This article addresses the integration of traditional wisdom with “mainstream” (medical model) approaches to healing in First Nations communities, and with Aboriginal peoples in offreserve settings. The “wise practices” concept that emerged from the Canadian Aboriginal Aids Network (Thomas, 2007 as cited in Wesley-Esquimaux & Snowball, 2010, pp. 390-391) is a “best practices” model for integration of approaches. A wise practices approach facilitates good clinical judgement in complex cases (O’Sullivan, 2005). The Seven Grandfather Teachings and the Cree Medicine Wheel are presented in brief, not as the main focus, but as examples of traditional teachings which can be integrated into some contemporary mainstream theoretical approaches. Cognitive Behaviour Theory and General Systems Theory are used as examples.