Rekindling the Fire - A Podcast for and with the Indigenous mental wellness workforce
Episode 9: Healing-Centered Care - Trauma-Informed Starts With Us with Rennie Linklater
“We envision together. We envision with those who sometimes can’t even have that vision for themselves.” In this episode of Rekindling the Fire, host Rachel Robinson sits down with Dr. Rennie Linklater — a member of Rainy River First Nations, longtime Indigenous mental wellness leader, and author of Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies — to explore vicarious trauma, healing-centred care, and the importance of supporting those who care for others. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in Indigenous healing agencies and First Nations communities, Rennie reflects on her own healing journey and the roles of ceremony, medicine, culture, and community in sustaining Indigenous helpers. She shares how vicarious trauma can appear in the lives of practitioners and why recognizing personal limits is an essential part of caring responsibly for ourselves and others. Together, Rachel and Rennie discuss why healing does not mean being able to tell a painful story without emotion, how organizations can move beyond placing the burden of self-care entirely on individuals, and why no one should feel obligated to share a traumatic experience for the education of others. Rennie also reflects on the Sixties Scoop, reconnecting with her family and culture, and helping people in survival mode imagine a different future. At the heart of the conversation is a powerful reminder: healing is an ongoing process, and sometimes we find our way forward because another person is willing to hold hope and possibility for us. Dr. Rennie Linklater is Senior Director of Shkaabe Makwa: Centre for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Wellness at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She has worked across the health and education sectors as a frontline worker, program evaluator, curriculum developer, educator, trainer, and researcher. She is an international speaker on trauma and healing and author. Fast Four Reflections Hope: Seeing Indigenous families and communities growing, learning, travelling, and experiencing the world together Home: Sitting beside the rapids at Manitou Rapids in Rainy River First Nations Meaning: Being a helper to her family, community, and the wider system Gift: Preserving and sharing her family’s history so future generations never forget who they are or how their ancestors lived Credits Rekindling the Fire is produced for the First Peoples Wellness Circle by David McGuffin and Graham McGuffin of ExploreProductions.ca Music by Nagamo Publishing. For more on the work of the First Peoples Wellness Circle, please visit FPWC.ca. Listener Care Notice This episode discusses trauma, sexual abuse, the Sixties Scoop, residential schools, suicide, vicarious trauma, and the emotional challenges experienced by those working in helping professions. Please take care while listening and access support if needed. Support Resources National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419 Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310 Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988
