Ernestina Malheiro

Ernestina’s lived experience with resilience and trauma has inspired her vision of working towards a kinder and more compassionate society that is Resilience and Trauma-Informed. As a Curriculum and Instructional Designer, she’s had the privilege of working with dozens of subject matter experts. 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. Ernestina has developed and delivered training about anti-bullying, human rights, trauma-informed cultural competency, anti-racism and trauma-informed care for educators, physicians, nurses and frontline staff.

Early on in her career she developed curriculum with survivors of genocide (Treaty 6,7,8, Rwanda and Bosnia). She’s delivered trauma education to staff and clients in an Indigenous focused treatment center. Ernestina has supported updated practice standards by training educators, health and wellness professionals about resilience and trauma-informed approaches.

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.