Embracing the Whole Person in Social Work

LaVerne Xilegg Demientieff serves as Professor and Chair of the Social Work Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she has established herself as a leading expert in Indigenous wellness and trauma-informed care. After earning her PhD and LMSW, she has built an impressive 20-year career focusing on healing-centered engagement and resilience, particularly within Indigenous communities. As a statewide trainer, she leads workshops on historical trauma, historical wellness, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma-informed care. Her research contributions include groundbreaking work on Housing First programs through an ecological and trauma-informed lens, and significant publications on Indigenous perspectives on wellness, including her work on Deg Xit'an Athabascan approaches to healing. Through her leadership at UAF's Department of Social Work, she has been instrumental in developing innovative approaches to building Alaska's social work workforce while maintaining her commitment to language healing and reclamation. Her expertise spans individual, group, and community wellness, with particular emphasis on cultural healing and ancestral knowledge. Beyond her academic work, she serves as a consultant and trainer in community-based wellness research, contributing to the broader understanding of Indigenous approaches to healing and resilience.