Karen Mackenzie
Northern News Services
Published Monday, November 5, 2007

NUNAVUT - Recent graduates of the territory's first Mental Health Diploma Program are already doing their work placements, providing much-needed services to Nunavummiut.

Graduates of Nunavut's first Mental Health Diploma Program are already working in their field. They are, top from left, Annie Gibbons, Christa Kunuk, Heather Coates and Ujaralaaq Eno, and bottom from left, Aglak Pettypiece, instructor Pauline Sestito, Margo Neglak and Eena Kullualik. - photo courtesy of Pauline Sestito

"We know the community really well, we know the culture really well, and it's important for people to see that there are people in their community who are Inuit working to help them," said Christa Kunuk, who is currently completing her required work placement at Nakasuk school in Iqaluit.

Kunuk is one of seven women to graduate on Oct. 20 from the intensive course, which was held at the Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit.

Funded by the Department of Health and Social Services, it is one of the many recommendations identified by the Nunavut Addictions and Mental Health Strategy to improve services in the territory.

Roughly half of the positions in the mental health field in Nunavut are currently vacant.

These include psychiatric nurses, wellness counsellors, mental health consultants and child and youth outreach workers.

Many of those that are filled are staffed by southerners on temporary contracts, and even those who take up residence in the community have a high turnover rate.

This can affect the continuity of care community residents receive.

"But people who have grown up here are committed to staying here," said Pauline Sestito, the program's instructor.

The hope is that many of the recent and future graduates of the Mental Health Program will begin to fill some of these positions, according to Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq.

"We've invested in quite a few areas of the health care field to build our capacity in the North, to deliver services to Northerners, by Northerners," she said.

The two-year curriculum is the product of a cross-disciplinary steering team from the areas of health, education and justice.

Students were instructed in a holistic approach to mental health, involving counselling, crisis intervention and mental health assessment, as well as traditional and spiritual practices.

Their training will allow them to work in all of these diverse areas, alongside nurses, doctors and social workers, according to Sestito.

Elders-in-residence from all three Nunavut regions have also contributed their knowledge.

"People have been saying that many of the existing services aren't necessarily culturally reflective of what the needs are, and this program helps bridge that gap," said Lori Idlout, executive director of Embrace Life Council, which was part of the steering committee. "The fact that out of the seven, six are Inuit, and they grew up in Nunavut...they've all experienced some sort of hardship, so they have the personal experience and now they have the training they need."

They will also help fill the gaps between visits by psychologists and psychiatrists, Idlout said.

"It's not the same extent of training, but enough to be able to help with assessments, address what mental health issues might exist within the community," she added.

Graduate Aglak Pettypiece said she can see the need in her own community of Arctic Bay.

While she is currently doing her work placement at the Young Offenders office in Iqaluit, she hopes to eventually work in her own hamlet.

"They went through a lot of social workers, a big turnover of staff in my community. They need social workers, counsellors and all that," she said.

The college will accept applications for the next year of studies until Nov. 9. Classes will begin in January.

"I'm confident that they will have lots to do and they will make a big difference to whatever area they are working in," said Judge Beverley Browne, another member of the steering team. "It was a good project that brought health and justice people together towards a common goal."