The Ninoshenh Community
Building your Gashkibijigan (bundle) with Community resources
Meet the services and practitioners who are part of your Ninoshenh Community
Our bundles are our mashkiki (medicine) that we carry. Bundling means we can connect these services to Ninoshenh Counseling clients. The client decides if they would like to access these services individually or with the option to collaborate. Collaborating could look like having meetings together to discuss wellbeing and resources in a way that wraps our services around the client, adding to the village approach.
Each Community service you see on this page has signed an Ninoshenh (Auntie) agreement to show up and participate in collaborative support when requested by the clients. Counseling for Nimaamaa or Ninoshenh can be bundled with any of the services found on this page.
The members of the Ninoshenh Community commit to uphold their role as an Auntie as sacred work. They are services Ninoshenh Counseling considers safe and would be useful for my family and I. We can set up a connection for you with these services at your request. You can explore the info about them below as well as their websites and contact info. Feel free to reach out to them at any time.
Here are our current Ninoshenh Community Member supports:
Birth Keeper
My name is Elise Ruel (Sinclair) and I am of mixed settler/ Anishinaabe heritage. I have enjoyed living and working in the beautiful unceded territory of the Syilx Nation and am honoured and privileged to be serving Kelowna as a Full Spectrum Doula, Breastfeeding Educator and Childbirth Educator.
I was called to birth work after becoming a parent for the first time. Since then, my training has been centred on developing my skills to best serve the unique and vibrant Indigenous community in which I call home.
I believe strongly in contributing and giving back to my community in a good way. My goals as a Birth Keeper and educator are to nurture my clients emotional, physical, mental and spiritual well being; to support their journey through the transition into their new roles as parents; to offer appropriate referrals and resources and to continue to support and contribute to a safe birthing community by providing culturally appropriate services to birthing people, their families and their babies.
You can find me on my website
Miigwetch,
Elise Ruel
Play Therapist
My name is Amy Bobb and I am a Registered Social Worker and Certified Play Therapist. After 11 years working as a social worker in many different settings, my passion for supporting children and youth led me to play therapy. Play Therapy allows me to support children in an authentic and meaningful way. Play is the natural language children use to communicate and is essential to healthy development. It provides a developmentally appropriate way of expressing their thoughts and feelings. Play also provides children with a platform to explore relationships, make sense of experiences, and develop new coping strategies. My hope at Little Village is to create a space where your child feels safe, seen and cared for, because it is only in these feelings of safety that children feel empowered to face the many challenges life may throw their way.
You can find me on my website
Mama Coach
Hi I’m Alexis Nelson, it took me years to embrace my true self and not change for others’ expectations. Now, I’ve embraced my uniqueness as an asset to set me apart, and become more like myself than ever before. Take it as no surprise, I’m from generational trauma. Our modern society was built on trauma. My Dad’s life ended short at 57 from years of covering up his own childhood trauma with drinking that turned into cancer. My husband’s grandfather was brought to residential school at the age of 3, and that’s just one piece of his trauma story. Once I became a mama, I was retraumatized, parenting in an ultra-independent isolated society.
I take it on as my responsibility to heal, help others grow and create a new world amongst ourselves. Using my business and psychology background, I’ve created a real support system of weekly coaching calls for soul sisters in business. We have guest speakers, practical courses on falling asleep, turning up our intuition and opening to receive abundance from Source. We open our calls once a month to non-members. And we have a scholarship fund. As well, I shine my light teaching soul sisters in business a branding bootcamp for creating a soul lead business. And lastly, I host a branding retreat to capture elevating photos & videos on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, where I live.
You can find me on my website
Here are some documents for you to use and share in the community.
Printable Resources:
7 Sacred Teachings Body Map – Syilx Photo (Teachings by Kimberly Pelletier Sagidjiwegjig)
7 Sacred Teachings Body Map – Anishnabek Photo (Teachings by Kimberly Pelletier Sagidjiwegjig)
Birthing Affirmations (From Daybreak Star Doulas with Art by Wakeah Jhane)
Traditional Self-care Medicine Wheel Fact Sheet (Native Women’s Association of Canada NWAC)
Weekly Celebration Tracker (From Mama Coach Alexis Nelson)
My Wellbeing Plan – Anishinabe Version
My Wellbeing Plan – Michif Version
My Wellbeing Plan – ililîmowin Version
E-learning Course (no cost):
Native Women’s Association of Canada’s e-learning program on providing trauma-informed, culturally safe, and intersectional services for, to, and with 2SLGBTQ+ Indigenous people with lived experience of gender-based violence
Your Ninoshenh Community
Ninoshenh (Auntie) Counseling is about building the village around Mama’s and Aunties at all stages, including pregnancy. Our community of support can include collaboration with Birth Workers, including Midwives, Birth Keepers (Doulas), and Natural Health Practitioners.
We’re here to help
Do you have additional questions about our counseling and community services? We’d love to hear from you! Just fill out our handy form, and we’ll be in touch soon!