CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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Mental health services in urban settings generally have not been adapted to serve the needs of Indigenous patients. We explored how patients' encounters with Indigenous Elders affected their overall mental health and well-being to identify therapeutic mechanisms underlying improvement. ⋯ Our evaluation illustrates that the Elders program was perceived by participants to have a broad range of positive impacts on their care and well-being. Although this study was based on experiences at a single urban clinic, these findings support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's calls to action regarding the inclusion of Elders as a strategy to improve care of Indigenous patients in Canadian health care systems.