Sydney Weaver

Background

About Sydney Weaver

I am very excited and honoured to begin work with the shishalh Nation in this exciting role, Regional Treatment and Wellness Lead. More will be revealed! In my private practice, Skookum Counselling and Consulting, I work with people struggling with problematic substance use; anxiety; depression; and/or histories of recent or distant trauma. I am registered with First Nations Health Authority to provide services for residential school survivors and their family members. My counselling approach includes the use of Applied Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. My work is client centred, trauma-informed, and informed by Lakota teachings. I view problematic substance use as self medication of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms such as anxiety, disturbed sleep, exaggerated startle response, and intrusive memories. I teach alternative, safe ways of coping (Najavits). I aim to cultivate safety, and facilitate awareness of the [social] contexts of woundedness. I have worked extensively in direct service, with health services (addictions inpatient and outpatient) and have taught social work at UBC, NVIT and UFV. Based on my research of 2003, I developed and conducted training for child protection workers (Best Practice with Drug-using Parents). My doctoral dissertation, ‘Left him in the dust:" Father exclusion from maternal harm reduction services,'(funded by CIHR) addressed father exclusion from maternal harm reduction services (https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/44704). I was able to demonstrate how Indigenous and non-Indigenous fathers are under-served in health and social services, resulting in broken families. Clinical and research interests: Trauma; addictions; mothering; fathering; illicit drug users; addictions; child welfare; kinship care.