Counseling Native Americans

1. Counseling Native Americans Jackie Diliddo Bridgewater State University CNGC 529 Fall 2010

2. Thanksgiving Trivia The Native Americans who were invited to the first Thanksgiving feast belonged to the Wampanoag tribe. Who was the chief of this tribe? • Squanto • Samoset • Cheyenne • Massasoit

3. Thanksgiving Trivia At the first Thanksgiving there were more Native Americans than there were Pilgrims • True • False

4. Native American History 1492: Columbus encounters the first Native American 1524: The first kidnapping in America took place. Florentine explorers kidnapped a Native American child to bring to France 1542: Spanish Emperor Carlos V attempted to impose “New Laws” on the Spanish colonies, ending the right to Native American slave labor 1546: The “new laws” were repealed by colonists who developed a society dependent on slave labor 1607: Jamestown is founded in Virginia. Captain John Smith is captured by Native American Chief Powhatan 1616: A smallpox epidemic devastates the Native American population in New England 1621: One of the first treaties between colonists and Native Americans is signed as the Plymouth Pilgrims enact a peace pact with the Wampanoag Tribe, better known at the first Thanksgiving 1637: In the colony of Massachusetts the Pequot Indians were the first slaves, however they were later sent to Bermuda in exchange for African Americans

5. Native American History Con’t 1675-1676: King Philip’s war erupts in New England between colonists and Native Americans 1711-1713: The Tuscarora Indian war 1752: In the 1752 census, 147 Native American slaves were listed as living in French households in Illinois 1758: The first Indian reservation in North America was established 1763: The Proclamation of 1763 prohibits any English settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains in attempt to east tension with Native Americans 1786: The Northwest Ordinance was enacted 1790: The Indian Trade and Intercourse Act is passed 1803: The Louisiana Purchase 1804-1806: Lewis and Clarks expedition with Sacagawea 1808-1812: Tecumseh, chief of the Shawnees founded Prophetstown for the settlement of Indian people 1817: Congress passed the Indian Country Crimes Act

6. Native American History Con’t 1820: More than 20,000 Native Americans lived in slavery on California missions 1828: The Cherokee Phoenix was published 1830: The Indian Removal Act was passed 1835-1842: Seminole War 1838: Trail of Tears 1860-1864: The Navajo War 1862: The Homestead Act 1872: The Mining Act was passed, Alaskan natives were excluded from claiming ownership to their own land 1879: The first Indian training boarding school was established in Pennsylvania 1911: Society of American Indians was established

7. Native American History Con’t 1917: 17,000 Native Americans served in the armed forced in WWI 1924: Indian Citizenship Act 1924: Indian Health division 1934: The Indian New Deal 1941: 25,000 American Indians served in the armed forces in WWII 1944: National Congress of American Indians 1950-1960: Native American genocide 1968: Indian Civil Rights Act 1978: Indian Child Welfare Act 1979: The Seminoles were the first tribe to enter into the gaming industry 1992: Foxwoods Casino of Connecticut opened by the Mashantucket Pequots 1994: American Indian Religious Freedom Act 1996: National American Indian Heritage Month of November declared by President Clinton

8. Alaska Natives • 1778 Captain James Cook sailed the northwest coast discovering what is now known as Cook Inlet • 1867: The Alaska Purchase • 1890’s: The gold rushes in Alaska brought thousands of miners and settlers to Alaska • 1912: The Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded • 1971: The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act • Alaska Natives only make up about 16% of Alaska’s total population

9. Native American Demographics • Population: The 2000 US Census reported the 0.9% of the US population (2.5 million) reported as American Indian or Alaska Native • The majority of American Indians or Alaska Natives live in California or New York • 0.2% of American Indians or Alaska Natives reside in Massachusetts • There are 562 federally recognized tribes in the United States

10. Values & Norms • Extended families very important, cousins are referred to as brothers and sisters and grandparents are the primary caregiver • Relation symbolized by the Circle of Life • Speak from the heart • Harmony and balance with an emphasis on unity • Wellness • Spirituality • Cultural identity • Education • Patience • Communal Sharing “What’s yours is mind and what’s mine is everybody’s” (McGoldrick) • Communication based on listening • Tribal Identity

11. Common Stereotypes of Native Americans • All Native Americans greet each other saying “How” • All Native Americans wear feathers • All Native Americans are alcoholics • All Native Americans live on reservations • Native Americans are dishonest • Native Americans are uneducated

12. Interview • Donna Mitchell, Undergraduate at Bridgewater State University

13. Counseling Recommendations • Native Americans come to therapy for the same reasons other Americans do, including marital problems and depression (McGoldrick) • Many professionals have tries to help Native Americans by changing their value system which in turn alienates them from their own people and traditions • This alone has let many Native Americans to question therapists and attending therapy

14. Counseling Recommendations • Use culturally sensitive, nondirective approaches • Encourage family members to participate in the counseling session • Be sensitive to cultural beliefs and differences • Incorporate the use of storytelling, metaphor, and paradoxical interventions • Personal authenticity, genuine respect, and concern for the client are essential • Be aware of the impact that genocide had in the past • Understand the differences between the dominant culture and that of American Indian culture • Consider each individual family’s level of assimilation

15. Counseling Recommendations • Silence is not negative, it may mean the client is forming thoughts or waiting for a sign it is the right time to speak • Be especially aware of nonverbal communication • The environment should be relaxed and casual • Do not assume, every Native American has a different story to tell • Use the first session as time to get to know one another • Take into consideration that many things have still not be healed with Native Americans and may be hard to discuss in a counseling session • Remembers to listen to the verbal and nonverbal signs in the counseling session

16. The Four “Forces” • Psychodynamic-May not be effective. Focuses on past experiences may be uncomfortable or distressing to the client. This therapy is a “talking cure” where many Native Americans communicate through listening and nonverbal signs. • Cognitive/Behavioral-May be effective. CBT links current behaviors with events and stimuli in the environment and has clear and simple goals. May be effective for short term counseling. • Existential-Humanistic-May be effective due to emphasizes of free will and empowerment of the client • Multicultural-Effective for self-identity and emphasizing the need to consider the cultural background of the client and find culturally appropriate solutions to the individuals problem

17. “The acorn may fall from an aged oak tree and the winds may blow it many miles away, but it will still grown to be an oak tree just in a different place”

18. References Bert, C., Bert, M., & Independent Native American Development Corp. of Florida, M. (1992). The Native American: An Exceptionality in Education and Counseling. Retrieved from ERIC database. Cohen, M. (1999). Nature Connected Psychology: Counseling, Environmental Education and Native American School Activities That Let Earth Teach. Retrieved from ERIC database McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Presto, N. (2005). Ethnicity & Family Therapy (Third ed. ). New York: The Guilford Press. Thanksgiving Facts . (2008). In The History Channel. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving Thomason, T. (1991). Counseling Native Americans: An Introduction for Non-Native American Counselors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 69(4), 321-27. Retrieved from ERIC database. University of Alaska Anchorage . (1988). In Alaskool. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from http://www.alaskool.org/default.htm