Kristel Slawik

Kristel is an Indigenous Registered Social Worker who holds a master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Calgary. A member of Big River First Nation (Cree) and of German ancestry, Kristel is also a person in long term recovery and Certified Reiki Master Practitioner. Reiki is a gentle, hands-on healing technique that promotes relaxation and balance. She believes in the valuable synergy between Reiki and counselling, recognizing how they complement each other in facilitating holistic healing. A patient of HUM for a number of years, she has experience working in addiction treatment (Sunrise Healing Lodge), board member with the Foundation for Addiction and Mental Health, and volunteer co-moderator of a peer support group called RAiAR (Remember Addiction is Addiction Responsible Recovery). Kristel operates from a profound sense of gratitude and a heart-centered approach, stemming from her own transformative journey. Through her work, she instills hope in others, demonstrating that meaningful change is attainable. She values a bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework working with addiction and mental health which she parallels with Indigenous perspectives of wellbeing. She offers good medicine of compassion, intuition and empathy.