Anita Jackson, BISW, MSW

Anita is a member of the Woodland Cree Treaty 6 from Northern Saskatchewan. She first obtained her Diploma of Social Work in 1984. She later completed a Life SKills Coaching Degree, BISW and an MSW. She has worked extensively with youth, women, families, elders and communities in a variety of capacities including Social Service; Child Protection, Youth Services, Northern NGO's, Family Services, Women's Shelters, Friendship Centres, NNADAP Addictions and Indian Health Management. She has faciliated hundreds of workshops, developed and faciliated community support programs, trained peer counsellors, and taught Social Work classes the for the First Nations University of Canada.

Anita has been a practicing Laying on of Hands Healer since 1990; an almost forgotten traditional practice amongst the Cree. She began her training thirty years ago with Reverend Rosalyn L. Bruyere, whom she continues to study and work with today. Anita has provided healing sessions for thousands of patient/clients over that time. She is dedicated to the effort of restoring this traditional practice and has been focusing her work on training Healers in Saskatchewan and NWT for the past five years.

Anita has also developed both and expertise and unique approach to healing family violence, abuse, suicide and trauma. She first completed the 160 hour DVI course with Mr. Sanchez in 2009. She went on to undertake further training, completing over 5000 hours of "training the trainers". The first 3000 hours were spent carefully listening and documenting sessions by notebook and later transcibing the notes. The later half was spent teaching and co-facilitating along side of Mr. Sanchez.

Anita began incorporating the cultural teachings and methodologies in the Asi Way Framework. This collaboration led Anita to establish Asi Counselling & Professional Services (Canada). She has taken the Four Elements teachings and blended them with the traditional teachings to create a new culturally effective approach to working with Aboriginal and First Nations individuals and families.