Cultural Wellness

Wendy Johnson

About Me

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, auntie, and friend. I use she/her pronouns. I am of Indigenous and Mexican ancestry and from the traditional territory of S’olh (So-off) Temexw (Tey mook). I am able- bodied, heterosexual, semi-retired, and have a middle-class socioeconomic status. I am educated and a professional and work in the mental health and wellness field.

I actively work at recognizing the privileges I have and try to practice cultural awareness, cultural competency, and cultural humility in both my personal and professional life. I am committed to promoting Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity and Belonging (EDIB), as well as Cultural Humility, to cultivate culturally safe service delivery and a healthy work culture. 

Mission Statement

Growing up away from my Indigenous community and culture, and immersed instead in predominantly western, Eurocentric values, I have encountered both inclusion and prejudice from those around me. My unique identity has afforded me moments of privilege as well as discrimination, shaped by the circumstances I described above. Over the past 30 years, reconnecting with my Indigenous roots through cultural humility and the principle of 2-eyed seeing has been instrumental in helping me embrace my identity and navigate life’s challenges. I believe it is essential for others to appreciate the significance of cultural humility and 2-eyed seeing in fostering understanding and respect for self and others.

In my more than two decades as a Mental Health professional, I have dedicated myself to advancing diversity, intercultural sensitivity, anti-oppressive and anti-racist practices, and trauma-informed approaches, all aimed at providing services that are culturally safe. Research and the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) and other marginalized communities indicate that considerable efforts remain necessary to achieve true equity and inclusion within services and workplaces. My recent work has emphasized collective healing particularly through the facilitation of Cultural Humility Workshops. My ongoing commitment is to support individuals, communities, and organizations to confront the pervasive nature of institutional racism and oppression by creating space for open dialogue about racism, colonization, privilege, bias, and other complex topics.

Training and Seminars Attended and Recommended.

  • San’yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program

    This training is a requirement by the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia for all their employees. This policy is an active attempt to provide culturally safe services for Indigenous people from healthcare professionals. This training provides an opportunity to build cultural awareness, cultural competency and cultural humility through psychoeducation and dialogue.

  • Foundations of Intercultural Development

    Endorsed by the Canadian Bureau for International Education, this organization provides an online course to “connect you with a community of learning focused on building intercultural engagement skills, developing cultural awareness, and empowering participants in equitable and inclusive practices.” This course I took to support my work at St. Thomas University. The course is provided by Simon Fraser University.

  • Cultural Humility: Training of Trainers by Indigenous Vision

    This is a 10-hour train-the-trainer virtual series on the concepts, principles, and practices of Cultural Humility in the workplace based upon principles developed by Dr. Melanie Tervalon and Dr. Jann Murray-Garcia. This training places an emphasis upon the importance of dialogue, bias, and ongoing self-reflection. It identifies that cultural awareness and cultural competency are not enough to provide cultural safety. Cultural humility is an essential piece to providing culturally safe services.