First Nations Metaphors of Health and Trauma

Drawing from decade-long work experience as a pediatric nurse with children and adolescents in crisis, and academic work in developmental psychology, comparative literature and analysis of narratives, Dr. Ulrich Teucher is studying cross-cultural differences in young people’s sense of identity and concepts of health. Teucher hopes the research, which involves visiting remote First Nations communities, will improve understanding of these differences and provide a clearer view of what good health means to First Nations youth. This may provide new insights into reasons for the high rate of suicide and among First Nations youth and contribute to better methods of assisting those at high-risk for this behaviour.