Oakley comes from a family of Urban Indians who landed in rural Washington due to displacement during the boarding school era. They were raised with a reverence for land and community and have always loved to spend time with the trees and mountains. Oakley’s professional interest in Native wellness began in college with numerous projects related to Indigenous research methodologies and traditional healing practices, but their personal interest began as a youth through observance of health disparities within their own family. Oakley has been trained as a mental health provider and is deeply informed by concepts of historical and generational trauma, harm reduction, and collective healing practices. They live in Tacoma, WA and can be found anywhere by the water, reading a book.
About Our Practice
The Seven Sacred Directions
Seven Directions was born from a desire to create greater connectivity across the many tribes, communities and organizations that have the health and wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native people at the heart of what they do. We are guided by the “seven directions” of practice: Integration & Holistic Wellness, Culture & Identity, Families & Communities, Respect for Sovereignty, Service, Indigenous Knowledge, and Tribal Governance.
The Seven Sacred Directions serve as an indigenous framework for presenting the strategic directions for the public health agenda.
