Ghost Pipe Podcast
Conversations Decolonizing Mental Health

The Ghost Pipe Podcast is a series of conversations exploring the experiences of both professionals and clients who have encountered colonial bias within the field of psychology. Jolene Thrasher, an Inuk woman, shares her story of unmet mental health needs and how she found healing within an Indigenous context.

Though the need for mental health support is high, the treatment offered is often not a good fit for Indigenous people. The “mismatch” between the mental health needs of an Indigenous person and what is generally offered in counselling and therapy is illuminated by the stories of Indigenous individuals. The conversations shared in the Ghost Pipe Podcast provide a place to hear these stories, highlight existing bias in the field of psychology, and strengthen the call to decolonize mental health care.

Contributors

Devanee Cardinal
PROJECT LEAD

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Devanee Cardinal
Project Lead

Myself and my husband, Buddy, have trained both people and horses at Cardinal Ranch for almost 30 years in the Robson Valley. In May 2023 I completed a Masters in Counselling Psychology and have since started Sparrow Counselling. A combination of academic study, encounters with indigenous clients, and marriage to an indigenous man have put me on a collision course with the impacts of colonialism. As a non-indigenous person I am coming to terms with my recent training in the field of Psychology and unpacking the impacts this westernized education is having on my role as a counselor and therapist. I am also beginning to understand the impact of intergenerational trauma has, and continues to have, on those I love. I am on a journey to decolonize my thinking in my roles as a wife, mother, and psychologist. I hope others will join me.

Jolene Thrasher
INTERVIEWEE

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Jolene Thrasher
INTERVIEWEE

Jolene Thrasher is an Inuvialuk undergraduate studying in Indigenous Governance with Yukon University. She is the daughter of a brilliant, self-taught artist and residential school Survivor. Jolene is also a mother of two children. Her values are rooted in justice and advancement for Inuit and all Indigenous Peoples, anchored in responsibility, and grounded in respect.