Caring for the Wounded Heart
Hope and Healing in Northern Canada
Caring for the Wounded Heart is a set of Bible-based trauma healing workshops we are facilitating in Northern Canada
Caring for the Wounded Heart
Unhealed trauma has been identified as one of the driving forces of suicide, depression, and substance misuse in the North. Profound heartache, grief, toxic memories, and anger hold people captive. Granting forgiveness sometimes seems impossible.
Caring for the Wounded Heart is our response to requests from Northern communities to offer a trauma healing program.
It is a series of experiential workshops that lead people on a healing journey, grounded in Biblical truth and mental health principles.
This healing program exists to help unlock the prison of helpless isolation, and provide a path that enables people to embrace healing.
Through story, art, music, journaling, and skits, people learn how to talk about their pain and listen to the pain of others. They find comfort for their hearts and minds in God, who cares for all of us, and in a community that walks the road of healing with them.
Each daily session provides Christian education and experiential learning through story, Bible study, discussion, art, music, poetry, journaling and more. Topics covered include:
- What is a wound of the heart?
- What can help our heart wounds heal?
- If God loves us, why do we suffer?
- What happens when someone is grieving?
- How do we bring our pain to the cross?
- How do we forgive others?
Jesus Cared for Wounded Hearts
One evening, Jesus was walking to a small town outside Jerusalem. Along the way, He encountered two people who were feeling confused, hurt, sad and abandoned.
The first thing Jesus did was to get them talking. He offered them the gift of presence – listening carefully as they opened up and shared their pain, disappointment and heartbreak. You can read about this story in Luke 24:13-35.
Jesus also knew these emotions himself. He became deeply troubled on several occasions, and wept openly in front of others.
When our staff and volunteers travel in the North, we are often invited to journey alongside people, to hear part of their story, and share part of their pain.
It is a privilege to journey with people towards healing, and to facilitate Caring for the Wounded Heart with communities who invite us.
Our Partners
Caring for the Wounded Heart is produced by the Trauma Healing Institute. In Canada, the program is stewarded by the Canadian Bible Society.
In addition to making the curriculum available across Canada, CBS are providing our facilitators with training and mentorship.
We also thankful to acknowledge the support of the Anglican Foundation of Canada who provided us a grant in 2024 enabling us to begin introducing Caring For The Wounded Heart among northern leaders and communities.
Want to support trauma healing in the North?
If you are a trained facilitator for Caring for the Wounded Heart and would like to lead healing groups in the North, please let us know. You are also welcome to support us in prayer, and financially.