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Squamish Nation:
The Change of Seasons Program

Native Solutions to Native Problems by Native Peoples

The Change of Seasons Program currently operates under the auspices of the Social Development Department of the Squamish Nation. The program offers therapy groups to First Nations men who are violent to their partners/spouses. Groups are comprised of 28 sessions, with participants who are court mandated, as well as agency and self-referrals.

The program had its origins in an intensive six month training program offered to six First Nations men in the summer of 1992 on the Capilano Reserve in North Vancouver. The training program concluded in September 1992, and four graduates began facilitating groups at Mount Currie. At the time of this writing, the program will be completing its fifth complete group in both locations.

The Change of Seasons program is committed to working with the perpetrators of spousal assault within First Nations communities. This is achieved in a way which is appropriate to working with aboriginal men, through experiential processes which incorporate traditional values and culturally relevant materials. The groups combine a psycho-educational approach with subject matter which is directly related to First Nations experiences. The manual that is used by group leaders is A Change of Seasons: A Training Manual for Counsellors Working with Aboriginal Men who Abuse their Partners/Spouses by Bruce Wood and Robert Kiyoshk.

Key program beliefs at Change of Seasons are:

That work with First Nations men who abuse their partners is best provided from within their own communities (once the specialized group leadership skills are acquired).

That group work with abusive men is the most effective forum for confronting denial, as well as being the most effective format in which to facilitate the healing process; individual counselling maintains the isolation and secrecy surrounding abuse, and couples work is potentially dangerous prior to substantial individual work.

That the use of the non-Native criminal justice system is not the best answer to this issue; the continuance of incarceration practices against aboriginal men exacerbates the social conditions which support spousal abuse.

In terms of severity and incidence, spousal abuse continues to be a major SOCIETAL concern.

That if at all possible, group work is best provided by aboriginal male facilitators.

That a comprehensive treatment approach with First Nations men includes elements which address the MIND (didactic component), the SPIRIT (healing shame and previous pain) and the BODY (building self-esteem and confidence).

For further information on the Change of Seasons Program, or for a copy of the training manual, call (604) 986-9015.