Monique Auger | Simon Fraser University (original) (raw)

Papers by Monique Auger

Journal of Indigenous Social Development, Apr 2, 2021

The colonial legacy for Métis people has included the far-reaching impacts of residential and day... more The colonial legacy for Métis people has included the far-reaching impacts of residential and day schools, forced adoption, dislocation from the land, cultural oppression, and denial of existence. This qualitative study explores the complexity relationships with land, identity, and resilience for Métis people, within the context of colonialism. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 33 Métis community members living in British Columbia, Canada. This research highlights the impacts of assimilation on Métis identity and knowledge with stories that speak to shame, hidden identity, and loss of culture. Participants also clearly articulated the ways in which Métis people have been impacted from intergenerational trauma. Findings from this research also include Métis relationships with, and responsibilities to, the land. Despite the challenges that many Métis individuals, families, and communities have faced as a result of colonialism, resistance and resilience were thoroughly demonstrated, with stories of bravery, resistance, and gratitude. As a whole, experiences of oppression, survival and resilience have powerfully shaped who we are as Métis people

The NCCAH uses an external blind review process for documents that are research based, involve li... more The NCCAH uses an external blind review process for documents that are research based, involve literature reviews or knowledge synthesis, or undertake an assessment of knowledge gaps. We would like to acknowledge our reviewers for their generous contributions of time and expertise to this manuscript. This publication is available for download at: nccah.ca. All NCCAH materials are available free and can be reproduced in whole or in part with appropriate attribution and citation. All NCCAH materials are to be used solely for noncommercial purposes. To measure the impact of these materials, please inform us of their use. Une version française est également publiée sur le site ccnsa.ca, sous le titre : À l'interface : les professionnels de la santé autochtones et la pratique factuelle.

Despite reported disparities in mental health for the Métis population, as well as the historic a... more Despite reported disparities in mental health for the Métis population, as well as the historic and contemporary challenges that many Métis people face in maintaining cultural connectedness, cultural continuity research with Métis communities remains largely ignored. To address this gap, this research sought to explore the meaning of cultural continuity and mental health for Métis people in British Columbia (BC). This thesis includes a meta-synthesis of relevant, original research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the United States, and a grounded theory study that explores Métis participants' experiences and conceptualizations of mental health and cultural continuity. Through the development of a Métis cultural continuity framework and evidence that associates cultural continuity as a Métis determinant of health, the findings point to the need for conducting community-driven quantitative research, in addition to supporting cultural practices, language revitalization, and Elder-youth engagement opportunities for increased cultural continuity for Métis people in BC.

International Indigenous Policy Journal, 2016

As a strengths-based alternative to Western notions of enculturation and acculturation theory, cu... more As a strengths-based alternative to Western notions of enculturation and acculturation theory, cultural continuity describes the integration of people within their culture and the methods through which traditional knowledge is maintained and transmitted. Through reviewing relevant, original research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the United States, the purpose of this metasynthesis is to describe and interpret qualitative research relating to cultural continuity for Indigenous Peoples in North America. This metasynthesis was conducted through the selection, appraisal, and synthesis of 11 qualitative studies. Across the selected studies, five key themes arose: the connection between cultural continuity and health and well-being, conceptualizations of cultural continuity and connectedness, the role of knowledge transmission, journeys of cultural (dis)continuity, and barriers to cultural continuity.

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

This paper reports on recommendations made by Métis women, two-spirit, and gender diverse people ... more This paper reports on recommendations made by Métis women, two-spirit, and gender diverse people for improving access to health and social services in Victoria, British Columbia. Expanding on research conducted in Toronto, Ontario, this study applied a conversational interview method to further explore and understand experiences of self-identifying Métis women, two-spirit, and gender diverse people ( n = 24) who access health and social services in Victoria. Participants provided wholistic and practical recommendations for improving access to health and social services, including (1) warm and inviting service spaces, (2) Métis-specific cultural safety training, (3) Indigenous specific clinic, (4) wholistic or integrative service delivery, and (5) non-judgemental service providers. This research demonstrates that Métis women, two-spirit and gender diverse community members hold practical solutions for improving access to health and social services for the larger Métis community.

Turtle Island Journal of Indigenous Health, 2021

While cultural continuity has been identified as an important Indigenous determinant of health, t... more While cultural continuity has been identified as an important Indigenous determinant of health, there is limited qualitative research that has sought to understand the meaning and context of cultural continuity for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in Canada. Specifically, despite reported disparities in mental health for the Métis population in British Columbia (BC) and elsewhere—as well as challenges that many Métis people face in maintaining cultural connectedness—cultural continuity research with Métis communities remains largely ignored. This qualitative study explores Métis people’s experiences and conceptualizations of mental health and cultural continuity through conversational interviews, analyzed to understand the overarching themes within a Métis worldview. From this analysis, three themes are presented within the scope of this paper: Métis stories of culture, identity, and mental health; the importance of community; and intergenerational knowledge transmission. This...

Canadian Journal of Public Health, 2016

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to understand the role that traditional Indigenous health care pract... more OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to understand the role that traditional Indigenous health care practices can play in increasing individual-level self-determination over health care and improving health outcomes for urban Indigenous peoples in Canada. METHODS: This project took place in Vancouver, British Columbia and included the creation and delivery of holistic workshops to engage community members (n = 35) in learning about aspects of traditional health care practices. Short-term and intermediate outcomes were discussed through two gatherings involving focus groups and surveys. Data were transcribed, reviewed, thematically analyzed, and presented to the working group for validation. RESULTS: When participants compared their experiences with traditional health care to western health care, they described barriers to care that they had experienced in accessing medical doctors (e.g., racism, mistrust), as well as the benefits of traditional healing (e.g., based on relationships, holistic approach). All participants also noted that they had increased ownership over their choices around, and access to, health care, inclusive of both western and traditional options. They stressed that increased access to traditional health care is crucial within urban settings. CONCLUSIONS: Self-determination within Indigenous urban communities, and on a smaller scale, ownership for individuals, is a key determinant of health for Indigenous individuals and communities; this was made clear through the analysis of the research findings and is also supported within the literature. This research also demonstrates that access to traditional healing can enhance ownership for community members. These findings emphasize that there is a continued and growing need for support to aid urban Indigenous peoples in accessing traditional health care supports.

International Journal of Indigenous Health, 2016

Colonization has had a profound effect on Aboriginal people’s health and the deterioration of tra... more Colonization has had a profound effect on Aboriginal people’s health and the deterioration of traditional Aboriginal healthcare systems. Health problems among Aboriginal people are increasing at an alarming pace, while recovery from these problems tends to be poorer than among other Canadians. Aboriginal people residing in urban settings, while maintaining strong cultural orientations, also face challenges in finding mentors, role models, and cultural services, all of which are key determinants of health. Using a participatory action framework, this study focused on understanding and describing Aboriginal traditional healing methods as viable approaches to improve health outcomes in an urban Aboriginal community. This research investigated the following questions: (a) Do traditional Aboriginal health practices provide a more meaningful way of addressing health strategies for Aboriginal people? (b) How does participation in health circles, based on Aboriginal traditional knowledge, i...

The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien, 2015

Qualitative data from interviews and surveys of Stellat'en community members were compiled and co... more Qualitative data from interviews and surveys of Stellat'en community members were compiled and compared with air temperature, precipitation, and hydrometric data from meteorological stations and proximal rivers. Community Elders noted changes to river water levels and shifts in fish populations. The quantitative data revealed a 2.3°C rise in air temperature, 5 percent increase in precipitation, and 10 percent decline in snowfall over a 40-year period. Results from these analyses were reported in two knowledge intersection workshops at Stellat'en First Nation, and information sharing took place to: facilitate discussion and awareness between traditional and western knowledge holders, gain insights on the community's views of climate change and water, and identify strategies for action. Recommendations formulated and implemented by Stellat'en First Nation include improved policies, and community and individual actions.

Mental Health & Prevention, 2021

First Nations people in Canada experience high rates of mental health disorders associated with c... more First Nations people in Canada experience high rates of mental health disorders associated with colonial trauma. The international course Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) was redeveloped by the Mental Health Commission of Canada to be more culturally relevant for First Nations communities. This follow-up study is an exploration of participants’ experiences in applying first aid following their 2.5 day training in Mental Health First Aid First Nations (MHFAFN). MHFAFN course participants were invited to complete a follow-up survey at an average of 9 months (SD = 3.3) after training. The online survey included questions about their experiences using MHFAFN skills and asked for a description of the scenario, response, and outcomes. Responses were gathered from 33 participants and qualitative analysis was completed using an inductive approach to develop overarching themes. The majority of respondents personally experienced a situation where a mental health emergency or issue arose (n=25) ...

Evaluation and Program Planning

American journal of community psychology, 2018

The Mental Health First Aid First Nations course was adapted from Mental Health First Aid Basic t... more The Mental Health First Aid First Nations course was adapted from Mental Health First Aid Basic to create a community-based, culturally safe and relevant approach to promoting mental health literacy in First Nations contexts. Over 2.5 days, the course aims to build community capacity by teaching individuals to recognize and respond to mental health crises. This feasibility trial utilized mixed methods to evaluate the acceptability, cultural adaptation, and preliminary effectiveness of MHFAFN. Our approach was grounded in community-based participatory research principles, emphasizing relationship-driven procedures to collecting data and choice for how participants shared their voices. Data included participant interviews (n = 89), and surveys (n = 91) from 10 groups in four provinces. Surveys contained open-ended questions, retrospective pre-post ratings, and a scenario. We utilized data from nine facilitator interviews and 24 facilitator implementation surveys. The different lines o...