- October 24 2025, 10 - 11:30 am
Living Between Worlds: Métis Counselling Experiences
by Délani Valin (Métis / Nehiyaw)
VIU Class of 2018 (Creative Writing) and author of Shapeshifters (2022)
“I take my medicine. As a child I used chicken soup, fizzy ginger-ale, saccharine bubblegum syrup. Now, I swallow Ativan, Klonopin, Effexor—chemical compounds that keep me from death by shallow breath. I’ve been reading what my ancestors have known for centuries: the benefits or rat root, rosehips, seneca, sage. Harvesting rhizomes, stems, and leaves to treat colds, coughs, pain. How to use sweetgrass to focus nervous energy, how to decoct nettles for tea.”
In this colloquium presentation, Délani explores Métis experiences of counselling through the lens of her Master’s thesis research and her lived experience. Blending poetry, storytelling, and community voices, the presentation weaves together reflections on identity, agency, power, and belonging within therapeutic contexts. By centering Indigenous knowledge systems alongside Western mental health frameworks, Délani invites a reimagining of care that honors both tradition and self-determined healing.
A related radio interview will be broadcast live on Oct. 22, 10 am, at CHLY 101.7FM Nanaimo;
Listen live on CHLY or listen to the conversation podcast afterwards.
