Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Joseph E. Trimble, Ph.D. Center for Cross-Cultural Research Department of Psychology Western Washington University

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Purpose of the Presentation To present a limited framework designed to guide counselors in making culturally resonant choices when counseling Native American Indians and Natives. To describe selected counselor characteristics that have been demonstrated to be effective in the counseling of North American Indians and Natives. To provide some guidance for how counselors can integrate spirituality into their counseling with Native American Indians and Natives.

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Constant Theme and Cultural Contexts Counselor flexibility a common theme in multicultural counseling literature especially with Indians and Natives. Counselors should adopt a “synergistic orientation” to assist in establishing a “culturally affirmative environment” to include: openly address dissimilar ethnic relationships. schedule appointments to allow for flexibility. consider extended family participation in sessions. allow time for trust to emerge and develop. respect uses of silence. demonstrate honor and respect for client’s cultural ways and beliefs. maintain highest level of confidentiality. - Herring, 1999

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Counselor Characteristics Traditional healers and counselors likely exemplify: empathy, genuineness, availability, respect, warmth, congruence, and concreteness. Reimer (1999) found similar characteristics from interviews in an Alaska Native village to include: virtuous, kind, respectful, trustworthy, friendly, gentle, loving, clean, giving, helpful, not a gossip, and one who doesn’t wallows in self- pity. A person who is strong physically, mentally, spirituality, Personally, socially and emotionally….works well with others by becoming familiar with people in the community….has good communication skills, achieved by taking time to talk, visit, and listen….is respected because of his or her knowledge… substance free….knows and follows the culture….and one who has faith and a strong relationship with the Creator.

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Multicultural and Spiritual Competencies Frame (2003) outlined the following as important steps in attaining a degree of competency in working with spiritual issues: a). self- awareness; b). knowledge of otherness in learning about differences; c). skill acquisition; d). assessing barriers; and e). willingness to learn. Anderson (2004) outlined the following to be more culturally sensitive with spiritual topics: a). capacity to know and explain one’s own spiritual/cultural groundedness; b). the capacity to learn about others and “otherness”; c). the capacity to demonstrate multi- spiritual/cultural attitudes, knowledge, and skills; d). the capacity to identify relational barriers and one’s own limitations; and e). the capacity to demonstrate respect and a willingness to learn. 1

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Multicultural and Spiritual Competencies Engaging awareness, knowledge, skills, passion, and action cross-culturally through…. Content -- the meaning of life, the meaning of death, what happens after death, and terminal illness. Discern with the client which ways spirituality is part of the problem and/or part of the solution. Process -- incorporate values such as connectedness of all beings, compassion, forgiveness, and respect with the goal of affirming human dignity and diversity as a vital part of existence. - Fukuyama & Sevig,

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Multicultural and Spiritual Competencies Counseling Interventions -- a). in session vs. out of session; b). religious vs. spiritual; c). denominational vs. ecumenical; d). transcendent vs. non-transcendent; and e). affective, behavioral, cognitive, and interpersonal. Use of bibliotherapy, journaling, meditation, prayer, and use of rituals (rituals of liberation, transformation, and celebration). Competencies -- be able to articulate religious, spiritual, and/or transpersonal beliefs, practices, and development over the lifespan; demonstrate sensitivity to and acceptance of a variety of spiritual expressions from the client; identify the limits of one’s understanding of a client’s expression and demonstrate appropriate referral skills; assess the relevance of the spiritual domains in the client’s therapeutic issues; and use client’s spiritual beliefs in the pursuit of the client’s therapeutic goals. - Fukuyama & Sevig, Faiver, O'Brien, & Ingersoll,

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Multicultural and Spiritual Competencies Referrals -- encouraged to collaborate and provide referrals when appropriate to indigenous healers and religious or spiritual resource; developing boundaries is appropriate and desirable; encouraged to know about the healers and spiritual professionals ahead of time to avoid the possibility of re-traumatizing the client if he or she has had a negative experience in the past. - Fukuyama & Sevig,

Establishing Culturally Affirmative Counseling Environments: North American Indians and Natives Summary Statement -- Gerald G. May, 1982, p “Spirituality, by its every nature, is compelled to address and incorporate psychology as well as every other aspect of human experience and endeavor. If we as individuals could relinquish our attachment to self-supremacy and open our hearts to the awesome simplicity of spiritual truth, all of our endeavors, including the giving and receiving of psychological help and understanding, could be deeply spiritual acts. Many attempts have been made to explain spiritual experiences in psychological terms: most of them have not worked. It is time to recover the possibility of seeing psychological experiences with spiritual eyes.”