This webinar shares the personal and professional journey of Indigenous social worker Tori McArthur while introducing a “wisdom-based” approach to practice grounded in Indigenous knowledge, culture, and lived experience. Drawing on her own healing from intergenerational trauma and experiences within colonial systems, Tori emphasizes the importance of culturally relevant, community-centered, and holistic approaches that balance physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
The session highlights key principles such as self-determination, decolonization, and cultural revitalization, alongside practical methods including land-based healing, ceremony, storytelling, and the guidance of Elders. It also addresses ongoing challenges such as systemic inequities, cultural misunderstandings, and workforce gaps, while reinforcing the need for Indigenous-led services, cultural safety, and policy advocacy. Overall, the webinar positions Indigenous social work as a distinct and empowering practice that supports healing, resilience, and sustainable change within communities.
Presenter:
Tori McArthur, MSW, RSW:
Tori McArthur is a registered social worker from Treaty 8 Duncan First Nation. Tori’s practice is a powerful synthesis of profound academic knowledge along with transformative lived experience. Holding a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Social Work and a unique Master’s degree in Indigenous Social Work, Tori McArthur’s formal education has provided her the ability and skill to deconstruct systems from a critical, decolonizing lens. For over 30 years as an Educator and a Caseworker with Child and Family Services, Tori McArthur has turned this dual perspective into profound advocacy. Tori operates from the core belief: that lived experience along with education can create a future for our upcoming generations that is inclusive and richly diverse. This conviction allows Tori to engage with children and families providing hope that there is opportunity for every single person to achieve success and to have their faces of color included in all aspects including managerial and upper administration positions. This conviction allows them to engage with children and families not from a place of distant theory, but with a genuine compassionate and empathetic understanding of survival, struggle, and resilience. Tori’s approach disarms fear, builds authentic trust, and empowers clients as the experts of their own lives. Tori McArthur’s work transcends standard case management. They are known for consistently championing the dignity of every individual, bridging systemic gaps with cultural humility, and fiercely advocating for healing pathways that honour both personal and cultural identity. By weaving academic rigor with hard-won personal insight, Tori McArthur embodies a truly holistic model of social work, transforming personal history into a professional force for protection, healing, and hope within Alberta’s most vulnerable communities.
Location: Virtual (Link to be sent upon registration)
Fees: SWAA members - $5 (nominal fee to confirm your spot) | Non-Members - $50
Registration: Member Portal (SWAA Members - Login required), Website (Non-members)