Title
Treatment Issues for Native Americans: An Overview of Individual, Family, and Group Strategies
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2004
Publication Title
Counseling American Minorities
Abstract
The need for improved counseling and mental health services for Native Americans is readily apparent. Several significant mental health concerns exist within the Native American population, including high rates of depression, suicide, substance use, and post-traumatic stress syndrome (Indian Health Services, 2001). In fact, the Indian Health Services (IHS) reports that mental health concerns account for more than one third of the demand for services from IHS facilities. However, there is a serious lack of resources for meeting these needs. Furthermore, an astounding lack of attention is paid to Native American issues in the professional counseling and psychological literature, which further impairs the ability of professionals to offer high-quality and culturally relevant services.
The lack of both clinical services and empirical research highlights the necessity of attending to the mental health concerns of Native Americans. In this chapter, we review issues related to counseling and treatment of emotional and mental health concerns of Native American clients. To begin with, we review Native American perceptions and use of counseling and mental health services. This review is followed by a discussion of ways in which traditional Native healing approaches and conventional counseling might conflict. Finally, in the majority of the chapter, we address issues of treatment and assessment, paying specific attention to attempts to integrate conventional and indigenous treatment strategies.
First Page
193
Last Page
216
Rights
This chapter has been deposited on the UND Scholarly Commons with permission from its initial publisher McGraw-Hill. It is available in print as:
Juntunen, Cindy L. and Paula M. Morin. “Treatment Issues for Native Americans: An Overview of Individual, Family, and Group Strategies.” Counseling American Minorities (ed. Donald R. Atkinson), McGraw-Hill Companies Inc, 2004, pp. 193-216.
Recommended Citation
Cindy L. Juntunen and Paula M. Morin. "Treatment Issues for Native Americans: An Overview of Individual, Family, and Group Strategies" (2004). Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications. 71.
https://commons.und.edu/ehb-fac/71