Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 10, Number 10, 1 October 1993 — Using ʻohana to save families [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Using ʻohana to save families

The 'ohana is such an important part of Hawaiian culture and society that it seems only natural that it should play a central role in the mental and physieal healing process of troubled Hawaiians. This is precisely the philosophy of Hale Ola Ho'opākōlea, a healing eenter in Nānākuli that uses the family as a basis for treatment of aleohol and drug abusers. "Our philosophy is that dmg treatment is not an individuai process. lt is

interdependent," explains director Analika Nahulu. "In our treatment we include the whole family. We don't separate the kids. ... Children need to know that part of wellness is doing things together." Hale Ola measures its success not only by how many individuals it ean keep off dmgs but by how many families it ean restore. Treatment extends over a 12-week period, patients meeting onee a week for three hours. It involves not only family-oriented group therapy but also activities to help "hannonize" dmg abusers' Iives and help reactivate cultural memories lost after decades of neglect. Some of these activities include making lauhala and picking limu. Explains Nahulu, "We connect the activities they are doing to their own dmg problems. We explain that when you do or do not do something with the lauhala there will be an effect. The same is true with dmg use and the effects it has on your family and your body." Some of the sessions have been so successful that recovered patients return to the center to eonūnue with the groups because they found them so emotionally satisfying . Hale Ola is a 12-year-old center originally sponsored by Alu Like to look into Hawaiian-style heaiing techniques to try to deal with the high levels of substance abuse in the Hawaiian community. It now receives its funding from the Department of Heahh, Aleohol and Drug Abuse Division. Most of the substance abusers at Hale Ola are either alcoholics or continued on page 8

Counselor Edward Rosa and Analika Nahulu.

Hale Ola Ho'opākōlea

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are iee or marijuana users. Often they are unemployed and their spouses have become active parttcipanLs in their drug abuse, not so mueh by using the drug, but by supporting the user by taking over financial control of the family and making sure there is enough in the budget to support the habit. Patients are either referred to the Hale Ola from other agencies or upon the recommendation of friends and families. "A lot of clients promote the center to other people in their eommunity," Nahulu says. "They're doing this to try and help the eommunity. ... Most people in this area (Nānākuli) are immobile. If they don't like the neighborhood they can't just get up and leave. So they want to improve the area by sending drug abusers to the elinie."