Biindigen Tekwanonhwera:tons Welcome
About the ILBC:
The Indigenous Land Based Counsellor (ILBC) teaches learners the effectiveness of using therapeutic tools in a land-based setting to help individuals reconnect with their identity, strengths, and self-worth. The program supports learning how to keep yourself, your colleagues, and clients safe in the working environment and focuses on growth of the helper by lighting your inner fire through traditions and ceremony. By weaving culturally specific helping approaches and Indigenous traditional perspectives on healing in contemporary society with clinical therapeutic best practices in the field, the ILBC program is an innovative solution to better serve people seeking support on their healing and wellness journey.
This Indigenous designed and future led program is developed by Gwekwaadziwin Miikan, with the support of our partner agencies from the Indigenous Healing & Wellness Strategy (IHWS), which includes various treatment centres, and healing lodges. This partnership allows the ILBC to be inclusive of Indigenous cultural diversity through province wide knowledge sharing, which in turn builds culturally appropriate content and leaves learners with a unique cross-cultural perspective of Indigenous healing, knowledge and practices within Ontario.
Our Logo
The Indigenous Land-Based Counsellor logo is a powerful reflection of the learner’s journey, deeply tied to the Gwekwaadziwin parent brand. This connection is symbolized through the use of the footprint, which not only represents progress and the path forward but also embodies the grandfather teaching of Honesty, or Gwekwaadziwin, through the figure of Sabe.
Sabe, a figure known for walking with integrity and truth, serves as a reminder for learners to walk their path with honesty, remaining true to themselves and their purpose. Additionally, the muskrat reflects a profound connection to the land, recalling the Anishinaabe creation story where the muskrat brought a piece of earth from the water to create the land. This element of the story reinforces the significance that as helpers we know our own identity and origin story whether we are Indigenous or allies as a starting point into the helping field. This foundation of knowing yourself allows you to embark on this educational journey and how you might fit into the indigenous land based counselling field.
Indigenous Perspectives on Concurrent Disorders
Course Code: ILBC-2025-01
Supporting Yourself in Wellness
Course Code:
ILBC-2025-02
Land Based Helping
Course Code:
ILBC-2025-03
Land Based Programming & Cultural Teachings
Course Code:
ILBC-2025-04
Organizational & Community Healing
Course Code:
ILBC-2025-05
Land Based Electives
Our Classroom
The ILBC certificate program has 5 online bundles. Each online bundle includes 2 hours of online instructor led class time and 1 hour of independent reflection and learning time.
