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EMDR is proving to be effective therapy in treating the intergenerational impacts of historical trauma in remote Inuit communities in northern Labrador, Canada. These clients are survivors of forced relocation and residential schools, as are their children and grandchildren. Many Inuit still grapple with these wounds today, with childhood abuse persisting, and suicide among young adults has become tragically normalized.
EMDR’s effectiveness in addressing traumatic grief and childhood trauma—even in just a few sessions—has led to increasing demand for this kind of therapy. Sadly, Inuit’s access to mental health services remains very limited. Inuit cultural strengths—such as storytelling, deep inner knowing, and strong community resilience—align naturally with EMDR’s strength-based approach. However, clinicians need to understand the profound context of historical trauma and its effects, as well as Inuit traditions, values, and practices, and ways of being in the world. This presentation highlights how culturally attuned therapy, like EMDR, can foster hope and healing —one person, one family, and one community at a time.
At the conclusion of this presentation participants will be able to:
- Understand the complexity and layers of intergenerational trauma when working with Inuit communities
- Gain insights, and learn outcomes from the application of EMDR in Inuit contexts
- Recognize the critical role of cultural sensitivity in delivering mental health services to Indigenous populations
Date: December 5th, 2025
Time: 2 pm ET
Location: Online via Zoom
This session will not be recorded.
Presenter: Lito (Joselito) Libres, MACP, CCC Bio:
Lito Libres, of Filipino heritage, has lived and worked for a decade in remote Inuit communities in Northern Labrador, Canada. He currently works as a clinical therapist with Nunatsiavut Government, traveling to different communities to provide EMDR Therapy as a treatment model for complex and longstanding childhood trauma, traumatic grief, anxiety/panic attacks. He is an EMDRIA certified therapist and has been a clinical member of the Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) since 2012. Lito holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology at Sofia University, in Palo Alto, California.
Northern Network Meeting - Dec 2025 - The Past is Present: Healing Historical Trauma in Inuit Communities of Northern Labrador Through EMDR—One Person, One Family, One Community at a Time
- vendredi le 05 décembre, 2025 de 14h00 à 15h00
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Online
