Our Principles
- Everyone deserves high quality treatment in an environment which promotes security, respect and freedom to be oneself.
- We will work together to ensure physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness among Aboriginal People.
- Biidaaban Healing Lodge will work collectively with all Robinson- Superior Treaty Nations to facilitate individual recovery, family healing and community rehabilitation.
- All communities possess the power to contribute to the development of the programs offered by the Biidaaban Healing Lodge.
- First Nations People have access to relevant information with respect to the Biidaaban Healing Lodge.
- Native People deserve to be serviced by their own people and where possible lodge staff will be of First Nations background.
- It is essential to take into account the families and the communities of the client to heal the whole self. Therefore, it is the belief of Biidaaban Healing Lodge that the Family and Community are recognized as an essential part of a clients recovery process.
- Provisions of aftercare services and support programs at the community level is key to the recovery process making the delivery of an aftercare program an essential part of the services we provide.
- Staff employed by Biidaaban Healing Lodge have a strong commitment to personal healing and recovery.
The History of
The Biidaaban Healing Lodge
In the early 1980’s, the disease of Alcoholism was the primary problem faced by many of the Indigenous families and communities. There was a movement of Indigenous people accessing drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities that failed to acknowledge our different approaches to life. The people were checking into different treatment centers across Ontario for the fifth and sixth time; and were experiencing very little in terms of long term sobriety. During stays in these rehabilitation facilities issues such as Sexual Abuse, Grief and Abandonment, Childhood Emotional, Psychological and Physical Abuse, Family Violence, Childhood Trauma and other related matters were surfacing. People would deal with their Alcoholism, but would obtain very little in terms of tools to assist them in maintaining sobriety and healing.
After spending time within a family, community or society that didn’t change; these individuals paths led down one of two roads–the familiar path of alcohol or drug use OR they simply would continue to maintain sobriety at the cost of picking up a secondary addiction such as gambling, abusive relationships and prescription drug addiction.
Pic River submitted a proposal in 1992 on behalf of the Robinson-Superior Area to target at that time what were referred to as “Secondary Problems”. This proposal addressed seven areas: Compulsive Overeating, Self-Parenting, Family Violence, Adult Children of Alcoholics, Sexual Abuse and Unresolved Anger stemming from Childhood Issues.
In early 1993, we began delivering mini-programs at First Nation and community levels in the seven areas listed above. During this time, we also developed our ten day residential treatment programs.
To date, Biidaaban delivers 10 day treatment programs in Grief and Abandonment, Sexual Abuse and Anger Management on a rotational basis. We also have 5 day programs which are listed on the program dates page, and will add descriptions shortly. We have programs developed that can be facilitated in the areas of Adult Children of Alcoholics, Compulsive Overeating and Self-Parenting that can be ran on a need be basis.
