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Gathering tools to help
Resolving past issues one key in the battle against depression

Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 4, 2015

RANKIN INLET
Dr. Claire Schnupp and his wife, Clara, have been coming to the Kivalliq region since 1967.

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Dr. Claire Schnupp covers some course material with Mary Kreelak, right, during a Biblical counselling workshop in Rankin Inlet. - photo courtesy of Noel Kaludjak

They began helping people heal by conducting family life workshops and sexual assault workshops in 1979.

They've been helping Kivalliqmiut deal with the pain of the heart ever since.

The couple were in Rankin Inlet to facilitate the third stage of a biblical counselling workshop from Feb. 9 to 27.

Claire said the workshops help people understand life and themselves.

He said he's been impressed with the work done by both the Angutiit Makigiangninga (Men Rising Up) men's group and Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services (KCSS) through the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre.

"There's a lot of smart people around here who are very sincere in their desire to understand themselves and their life better," Claire.

"Helping people understand themselves and enjoy becoming a better family member, community member and church member is my life."

Claire said the grassroots approach to counselling people is working so well in the Kivalliq because of those trying to help understand the people.

"We took the master's program at the seminary and took the 10 most important counselling courses out of there and built it into a diploma program.

"Many people we work with didn't finish high school but they're intelligent.

"They're learning these concepts at a diploma level and they don't need high school for that.

"They're grasping, understanding and using these concepts to understand themselves and other people."

The approach goes into childhood events and abuse issues and helps people talk openly about them.

Claire said those who are clinically depressed may need medication for awhile in order to think properly and process the early events.

He said later events can add to it, but, unless a person goes back and processes the early events they can remember, the depression really won't lift.

"There are some biological depressions in the genes but most depression comes from emotional trauma early in life.

"It can be unresolved grief from someone drowning or committing suicide and sometimes it happens so fast there's compounded grief and unresolved grief causes a lot of problems like depression, anxiety and the fear it's going to happen again and who's next.

"They're angry and blame God or the person who died or killed themselves, and that anger causes depression.

"Processing grief represents at least 40 per cent of what we work on — the rest are abuse issues — and the more they understand, the more they're able to accept and come to terms with it and change their whole frame of mind."

Community support worker Sam Tutanuak is taking the counselling program and is growing increasingly eager to help others.

He said the latest training module had him digging deep within to rid himself of his own emotional baggage so he can begin to concentrate on others.

"I dug deeper inside myself to see what I've been blocking, hiding and using as a mask so people don't see the real me," said Tutanuak.

"I got into this because of the encouragement I received from (KCSS executive director) Noel Kaludjak, who told me I had a gift to offer.

"I didn't see it for awhile but after going through these past three weeks, I now see the abilities I have to help other people.

"I'm still gaining the tools I need to counsel, but I feel I have the majority to start helping others now."

Tutanuak said it's not easy to truly deal with your own personal issues.

He said as hard as it was at times, he had to continue because he knew he couldn't help others until he was at peace with himself.

"I had to take that rabbit out of the hat, so to speak.

"I've done that, and now I know the pain of having to take the rabbit out of the hat and let everybody see it.

"But, now I'm comfortable in showing everyone the rabbit because they can see that it's not a bad rabbit."

Tutanuak said the Kivalliq lacks a lot of resources in helping people deal with mental health issues.

He said the capacity simply does not exist to accommodate everyone seeking help.

"Mental health has become a big topic.

"It's clearly evident there's a lot more help needed here in that department, especially with the history Nunavut has with residential schools and the issues associated with that.

"It accumulates until there's a whole bunch of very bad issues that have never been verbalized, let alone resolved.

"I'm excited to have been given the tools to start doing what I can to help those struggling with issues they've been carrying around inside for a very, very long time."

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