A Place to Heal:
Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute is a survivor- and women-led organization dedicated to providing free, accessible, culturally responsive, and intergenerational mental health and wellness services, along with victim advocacy, for Indigenous and underserved communities impacted by violence. We are committed to addressing the profound effects of historical, intergenerational, and transgenerational trauma. Through our work, we aim to foster resilience and empowerment, creating a safe space for healing and support that prioritizes dignity, respect, and justice for all individuals.
We specialize in trauma recovery for those affected by sexual assault, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sex trafficking. Our therapists are skilled in grief work for survivors who have experienced losses due to suicide, homicide, substance use, and community violence. Our holistic, community-informed approach intentionally fosters a safe and welcoming space for survivors to seek support, grieve, heal, and rebuild hope.
We are committed to fostering a transformative and inclusive mental health services that empowers both the public and professionals with mental health education, trainings, and coping strategies to promote interdisciplinary mental health services and effective solutions for positive lasting change.
We are proud to implement the CAM™ Mental Health Without Borders Approach™, a groundbreaking platform designed to reimagine and transform how mental health care is accessed and practiced. By bridging the gap between survivors in need of care and mental health professionals, we have established a dynamic network of helpers—both emerging professionals and seasoned providers. This collaborative network enables us to offer real-time, free and accessible care, ensuring that support is available when and where it is needed most. Through this innovative approach, we are committed to expanding the reach and impact of increasing mental health services that are woven seamlessly throughout our communities, fostering a more connected and responsive community of care for all.
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Our Mission
Our mission is to increase mental health care accessibility and promote community wellbeing for victims of violence.
How We Do This
We are committed to expanding beyond the traditional mental health structures and barriers in order to connect mental health care to those who need it the most.
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By fostering trusting, healing-centered, and safe relationships between providers and the communities they serve, we work towards eliminating stigma and financial obstacles related to receiving mental health care.
To achieve this, we collaborate with established partnerships, universities, and training institutions, offering internship opportunities for students to complete field placements with our organization. This approach enables us to train the next generation of mental health providers to deliver compassionate, culturally respectful, community-based mental health care.
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Our Vision
Our vision is to cultivate the next generation of leaders and healers, grounded in a deep respect for our relationships with one another and our ancestors' wisdoms. To build true organizational resilience, we recognize the need for a paradigm shift that honors our past, addresses the realities of the present, and considers the well-being of future generations.
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The Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute is guided by the ancestral teachings and Indigenous wisdom of The Children’s Fire, which helps to inform our work and philosophy. This vision is reflected in our shared leadership approach and shared governance model rooted in Global Indigenous practices.
Ancient teachings of Two Laws of the Children’s Fire:
1. The Children’s Fire must forever keep going.
2. The feminine and children must be protected.
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These sacred principles guide our commitment to safeguarding the future of our children. We pledge to act in their best interest, ensuring that no harm comes to them, and that we nurture the continuation of our differing cultural traditions, practices, and ways of life.
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We are committed to honoring the wisdom of our ancestors, uplifting the feminine, and fostering an enduring legacy of care and leadership for generations to come.
Centering Healing for Girls & Women
At HIR Wellness, when we use the term women, we honor, and support all lived experiences of womanhood.
We recognize the profound impact that supporting women, particularly in improving the outcomes of their wellness and healing, has on the broader community. When women thrive, their strength ripples outward, positively influencing their families, children, and entire communities.
This is why our mental health services prioritize a focus on girls and women, while also embracing an intergenerational and communal approach to care. By centering the needs of women, we honor the ancestral teachings of the Children’s Fire, ensuring that healing and wellness flow not only through individuals but across generations, fostering resilience and strength within families and communities as a whole.
Together, we are healing forward, building a foundation where everyone can find support, nurture, healing, and a path toward a brighter future.
CAM™ Mental Health Without Borders Approach™
Our approach is centered on mobilizing mental health providers to actively respond to the evolving needs of community care. By bringing together an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals and trained interns from diverse fields, we create an integrated, community-based network of mental health support. This team works within community spaces to deliver free, accessible mental health resources, screening tools, services, and advocacy—ensuring that help is available to children, youth, families, adults, and Elders alike.
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We are committed to reimagining the service delivery of mental health care by providing real-time triage of mental health concerns, empowering individuals with immediate support and guidance. Our innovative model breaks down traditional barriers to access, making mental health care more responsive, flexible, and inclusive. Through this approach, we are not only addressing the immediate needs of the community but also laying the foundation for long-term healing and resilience by fostering a supportive environment where care is personalized, compassionate, and easily accessible.
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Scaling Access to Mental Health Video
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CAM™ in Service
It is our belief that we heal in relationships and within community.
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Community Mental Health & Wellbeing
Practice in Action
By taking mental health services into the heart of the community, we’re making care more accessible, holistic, and relevant to the people we serve. Whether it's providing safe spaces for healing circles, offering grief support, or simply creating opportunities for individuals to connect and receive care, our goal is to ensure that mental health services are available to those who need them most, right in their own neighborhoods.
Snapshot of Our Impact
Investing Community Mental Health
Over the past year alone, our team has delivered an estimated $2.6 million in services, based on the national average cost of mental health and wellness sessions. This impact demonstrates the critical role we play in supporting our relatives, yet it also highlights the growing demand for our services. As our reach continues to expand, the need for funding and resources to sustain and grow our work has never been more urgent.
To continue offering these vital services and meet the increasing needs of our communities, we rely on legacy funding, sponsorships, and the ongoing support of a growing network of partners. Your contributions allow us to provide free, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed care to those who need it most, ensuring that no one is turned away due to financial constraints. Join us in making a lasting impact—help us continue to provide healing, hope, and restoration to those who have been affected by violence and trauma.
Our virtual CAM™ supporters continue to exponentially grow within our global community!
Our CAM™ Mental Health Without Borders Approach™ has reached over 5,000 Milwaukeeans in the past year and thousands more through our virtual services throughout the state, Nationally, and Internationally.
This includes children and family members provided with victim and legal advocacy services.
