Ernestina Malheiro

Edmonton-Gold Bar

Ernestina’s lived experience with resilience and trauma has inspired her vision of working towards a kinder and more compassionate society that's Resilience and Trauma-Informed. As a Curriculum and Instructional Designer, she’s had the privilege of working with dozens of subject matter experts in over 40 fields. They’ve varied from elders, scientists, surgeons, storytellers, researchers, mental health professionals, nurses and refugees - just to name a few. Since 2018 she’s focused on mental health education after realizing the healthcare system was traumatic for patients and practitioners alike. She’s spent thousands of hours exploring trauma and resilience in her graduate research and beyond.

She’s strategized and implemented e-learning for organizations with 25,000 to 90,000 employees over the last 20+ years. Her clients come from dozens of different specialties. Early on in her career she developed curriculum with survivors of genocide (Treaty 6,7,8, Rwanda and Bosnia). Ernestina has developed and delivered training about anti-bullying, trauma-informed practice, interpersonal communication, human rights, trauma-informed cultural competency, and Indigenous anti-racism. She’s currently focusing on resilience and psychological safety for educators, human resources and health and wellness professionals.

She’s been mentored by Blackfoot Elders in their cultural and spiritual practices for the last 19 years. Her passion for decolonization work opened the doors to teaching Historical & Intergenerational Trauma to Indigenous students in collaboration with Indigenous Elders and teaching resilience to Indigenous educators.