Behavioral Health Services for American Indians and Alaskan Natives SAMHSA TIP 61

Summary - There is no one right way. Providing direction on how something should be done is not a comfortable or customary practice for American Indians and Alaska Natives. For them, healing is interconnected with others and comes from within, from ancestry, from stories, and from the environment. RESPECT - Respect communication styles and how respect is shown in the culture - Explanatory model: Understand how clients perceive/understand their presenting issues - Sociocultural context affect treatment - Participation expectations for treatment may be different than mainstream. (family, community, faith healers etc.) - Empathy - Concerns and fears should be elicited (at the beginning and at points of resistance) - Trust is based on who you are not what you accomplished.