Understanding and Counseling Native Americans

Fulfills requirement: Diversity and Multicultural Issues

This advanced beginner/intermediate course was developed to provide mental health professionals with an in-depth opportunity to improve their understanding of (1) the historical and cultural backgrounds that are specific to Native Americans and (2) common issues related to counseling clients who are members of this diverse group. The course materials are drawn from selected chapters from the Routledge book collection, Multicultural Psychology, Fourth Edition, and Multicultural Counseling and Psychotherapy, Sixth Edition, as well as content based on the latest research from several recent professional sources, including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The first section of the course begins with a brief description of other terminology used to describe Native Americans (e.g., American Indians, Indigenous People, First Peoples) and the need to consider clients’ preferences and to avoid generalizations and stereotypes. Next, the section provides mental health professionals with an overview of the relevant historical and cultural issues for Native Americans. These issues include displacement by Europeans, early American history, government interventions, the quest for civil rights, and how gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and spirituality intersect. Income, poverty, unemployment, housing and homelessness, education, trauma, violent crime, child abuse, domestic violence, and physical health are addressed, as are family and spiritual values that Native American cultures generally share.

In the second section of the course, mental health professionals learn to provide culturally-responsive treatment for Native Americans. Traditional values and beliefs are reviewed as they are relevant to the therapeutic relationship and treatment planning. Mental health professionals learn to identify potential problems warranting counseling and to discern the important clinical considerations for members of Native American populations. Attention is given to the specific issues commonly found in working with children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. The section also explores whether individual, group, and/or family therapy approaches are likely to be helpful.