Journal article
Traditional Healing as Mental Health Intervention: Contemporary Insights From an American Indian Healer
Journal of counseling psychology, Vol.71(6), pp.531-542
11/01/2024
PMID: 39361384
Abstract
Contemporary American Indian communities experience a disproportionately high rate of specific mental health concerns, including psychiatric disorders as defined by professional psychology. Although integrating mainstream mental health services and Indigenous traditional healing (ITH) has been presented as a promising approach to addressing these inequities, such integration necessitates in-depth exploration and consideration of ITH. To that effect, this article provides a thematic analysis of an interview with an urban American Indian traditional healer who reflected on more than 4 decades of therapeutic experience. Based on this analysis, we identified two major themes. The first theme, Expansive View of ITH, reflects this healer's conceptualization and understanding of the therapeutic process while the second theme, Guiding Principles of ITH, explicates the foundational commitments that shape and guide this healer's application and practice of ITH. These insights reinforce previous observations made by scholars of Indigenous health and well-being that challenge dominant Euro-American perspectives and call for transformative change in psychology research and practice, advocating for professional consideration of a broader range of therapeutic rationales, traditions, and practices than what is common within the field.
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Details
- Title
- Traditional Healing as Mental Health Intervention: Contemporary Insights From an American Indian Healer
- Creators
- Kiara M. Tanta-Quidgeon - Columbia UniversityMona Stonefish - SoutheastRachel E. Wilbur - Washington State University, Department of Medical Education and Clinical ScienceJoseph P. Gone - Harvard Global Health Institute
- Publication Details
- Journal of counseling psychology, Vol.71(6), pp.531-542
- Academic Unit
- Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH)
- Publisher
- Amer Psychological Assoc
- Number of pages
- 12
- Identifiers
- 99901220500701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article