Vision, Story, Medicine: Therapeutic Filmmaking and First Nations Communities
Lauren Johnson, Ph.D.
Abstract
Certain barriers prevent Aboriginal populations from accessing counselling services that may help them cope with the ongoing aftermath of colonialism. In this chapter, I highlight some of those barriers, then introduce the reader to therapeutic filmmaking and propose an argument for why this approach to counselling may help bypass these barriers. I argue that therapeutic filmmaking may provide a meaningful, culturally relevant counselling experience for Aboriginal clients by highlighting the potential storytelling and spiritual merits of the filmmaking process. (79 words) Key words: Indigenist counselling, Aboriginal clients, therapeutic filmmaking, film as therapy, cross-cultural counselling.