Beyond the Orange Shirt: Healing in Relationship and Reclaiming Our Shared Truth
Every year on September 30, people across Canada observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Coinciding with Orange Shirt Day, this day carves out a vital space for national reflection, collective grief, and accountability.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day to honour the survivors of the residential school system, remember the children who never made it home, and acknowledge the deep, systemic, and ongoing trauma experienced by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.
As a psychological clinic, we recognize that trauma does not exist in a vacuum. Neither did it end when the doors of the last residential school closed. The wounds of these experiences and institutions live on as intergenerational trauma, profoundly impacting the mental health, well-being, and relationships of Indigenous families (Bombay et al., 2014). True reconciliation requires us to look through a collaborative and relational lens—understanding that because trauma was inflicted through the deliberate breaking of relationships, healing should also happen through the conscious, humble work of restoring them.
To bridge psychological theory and Indigenous ways of knowing, we strive to draw upon the Mi'kmaw concept of Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk). That is, we learn to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and from the other eye with the strengths of Western evidence-based practices. For non-Indigenous people living in Canada, this relational journey begins with a vital step: acknowledging our role as settlers on this land.
Understanding the Settler Identity in the Healing Process
To talk about relational healing, we must first be honest about who is in the relationship. For non-Indigenous Canadians—whether your family has been here for generations or you are a recent immigrant—acknowledging yourself as a settler is not about carrying personal guilt or shame. Rather, it is a psychological and social framing that grounds us in reality.
What does it mean to be a settler? It means recognizing that we live, work, build families, and seek wellness on lands that were stolen, unceded, or populated through broken treaties. It means acknowledging that the current systems of housing, healthcare, and law continue to disproportionately benefit settlers while marginalizing Indigenous peoples.
From a therapeutic perspective, healing cannot begin in a relationship where one party denies the power dynamic or minimizes the history of harm. When settlers lean into the discomfort of this identity, it shifts the dynamic from an abstract historical concept to an active, lived relationship. It can help to change the questions from "What is wrong with them?” or “What happened to them?" to "What is my responsibility as a guest on this land?"
Trauma is Intergenerational; Healing is Relational
The residential school system was a deliberate, state-sponsored disruption of human attachment and cultural connection (Jones, 2024). For generations, children were forcibly removed from their parents and extended family. This stripped them of the foundational psychological experiences of safe, nurturing relationships within their familial and cultural environments. When a system actively disrupts the sacred bond between parent and child, the psychological ripples can last for generations, manifesting as complex trauma, anxiety, depression, and deeply strained interpersonal dynamics.
In fact, modern neuroscience, epigenetics, and public health research all show us that the impact of this trauma goes even deeper than psychological distress experienced by one person or one generation. Rather, it quite literally gets under the skin. High exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs; Felitti et al., 1998)—which, for Indigenous communities, can include a history of systemic disruptions like forced separation and institutional abuse—can trigger toxic stress responses within the body that alter non-coding RNA molecules and the chemical tags on DNA. Local research here in Calgary, supported by the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (Palix Foundation, 2018) and researchers at the University of Calgary (Letourneau et al., 2018), underscores how high ACE scores alter neural development and dysregulate the biological stress-response systems across generations. These molecular shifts have been shown to correlate with a significantly higher lifetime vulnerability to chronic physical illnesses, autoimmune diseases, chronic pain conditions, and complex mental health challenges that can last for generations.
Understanding the impact of these intergenerational traumas makes one thing clear: true healing for Indigenous peoples involves reclaiming those severed connections—to self, family, community, culture, and the land (Roy, 2020). As mental health professionals, we should work to recognize that true "mental health" in Indigenous communities cannot be isolated from community wellness and cultural continuity.
Therefore, the burden of reconciliation cannot rest on Indigenous shoulders alone. Settlers have a psychological and moral duty to do the internal work: dismantling systemic biases, unlearning whitewashed histories, and ensuring that our clinics, workplaces, and neighbourhoods become relationally safe spaces.
A Note on Support
This day can be incredibly heavy and re-traumatizing for Survivors and their loved ones. If you or someone you know needs support, the following resources are available 24/7:
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Hope for Wellness Help Line: Call 1-855-242-3310 or access online chat at hopeforwellness.ca (Available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut).
Moving from "Truth" to "Reconciliation"
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) delivered its final report in 2015, exposing the devastating reality of a system designed for cultural genocide (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015). The commission left Canadians with 94 Calls to Action spanning education, healthcare, justice, and language.
The creation of this national day directly answers Call to Action #80. Furthermore, Calls to Action #22 through #24 specifically demand that healthcare systems recognize the value of Indigenous healing practices and mandate cultural safety training for health professionals.
Considering ongoing shifts in Alberta’s regulatory landscape—such as the implications of Bill 13—it becomes even more incumbent upon us as psychologists and healers to take proactive personal and professional responsibility. As structural frameworks and institutional mandates evolve, we cannot expect that regulatory compliance alone will be a substitute for ethical dedication. The onus rests directly on practitioners to actively integrate Indigenous knowledge, honour traditional pathways to wellness, and cultivate culturally safe practices within our clinical work.
However, the "Truth" part of this day must come before "Reconciliation." We cannot heal a wound we refuse to look at. Acknowledging the painful history of colonialism, forced assimilation, and the ongoing trauma that persists today is a prerequisite for moving forward.
How Settlers Can Take Relational Action This September 30
Reconciliation is an active verb. If you are wondering how to meaningfully participate this year as a settler, consider taking these steps toward fostering relational healing:
Learn the History of the Land You Occupy: Visit Native-Land.ca to learn whose traditional territory you live on. Go beyond a rehearsed land acknowledgment and learn about the specific treaties, caretakers, and history of that local soil.
Educate Yourself on Cultural Safety: If you work in healthcare, education, or public service, actively pursue training in cultural safety and trauma-informed care specifically tailored to Indigenous histories and Two-Eyed Seeing frameworks.
Listen to Indigenous Voices: Diversify your media. Read books by Indigenous authors (like Bob Joseph, Chelsea Vowel, or Richard Wagamese), watch documentaries, or listen to podcasts created by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis creators.
Attend a Local Event with Humility: Look for community powwows, walks, or educational panels hosted by local Indigenous organizations. Show up as a guest to listen and learn, not to be centered or validated.
Have Tough, Compassionate Conversations: Talk to your children, your parents, or your coworkers about the concept of being a settler and what it means for your family. Acknowledge the discomfort that comes with these truths; sitting with that discomfort is part of the healing process.
A Shared Journey Toward Wholeness
Reconciliation is not an "Indigenous issue"—it is a collective responsibility. It asks settlers to sit with discomfort, unlearn incomplete histories, and actively participate in building a society rooted in equity, respect, and relational safety.
This September 30, let’s wear our orange shirts with purpose. Let’s listen with humility, reflect with honesty, and commit to the long, necessary journey of turning truth into real, lasting, relational change.
As we reflect on our shared history and the path to relational healing, how are you planning to observe National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this year?
References
Bombay, A., Matheson, K., & Anisman, H. (2014). The intergenerational effects of Indian Residential Schools: Implications for the concept of historical trauma. Transcultural Psychiatry, 51(3), 320–338.
· Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Marks, J. S., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
Jones, M. E. C. (2024). The intergenerational legacy of Indian Residential Schools. Demography, 61(6), 1871–1895.
Letourneau, N., Dewey, D., Kaplan, B. J., Ntanda, H., Novick, J., Thomas, J. C., & Aitchison, K. J. (2018). Toxic stress, intergenerational trauma, and child development: Implications for clinical practice in Alberta. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 50(4), 190–201. https://doi.org/10.1177/0844562118790181Roy, A. (2020). Intergenerational trauma and Aboriginal women: Implications for mental health during pregnancy. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 9(1), 7–21.
· Palix Foundation. (2018). The Brain Story certification: Epigenetics and adverse childhood experiences in Alberta. Alberta Family Wellness Initiative. https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Honouring the truth, reconciling for the future: Summary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. McGill-Queen's University Press.
Nicola Rimke
Registered Psychologist
