American Indians and Alaska Natives have consistently experienced disparities in access to healthcare services, funding, and resources; quality and quantity of services; treatment outcomes; and health education and prevention services. Availability, accessibility, and acceptability of behavioral health services are major barriers to recovery for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Common factors that infuence engagement and participation in services include availability of transportation and child care, treatment infrastructure, level of social support, perceived provider effectiveness, cultural responsiveness of services, treatment settings, geographic locations, and tribal affliations.

The Executive Summary of this Treatment Improvement Protocol summarizes substance use and mental illness among American Indians and Alaska Natives and discusses the importance of delivering culturally responsive, evidence-based services to address these behavioral health challenges.

Provides a thorough background to helping professionals on the developmental, cultural, and special mental health needs and concerns of Native American Indian and Alaska Native clients. Looks at specific cultural and ethnic issues, describes methods for establishing rapport and intervening with diverse Native populations, and discusses counseling with youth and adults, career counseling, and using creative arts in counseling. An appendix lists reproducibles, films and videos, reservations, literature and music resources, and Native organizations. Includes chapter summaries, questions, and activities. Herring is professor of counselor education at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This chapter begins with a discussion of general factors with a potential impact on the assessment and treatment of American Indian and Alaska Native people (AI/ANs). The history of AI/ANs is briefly summarized and followed by a description of the unique demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of the population. Some common cultural values among AI/ANs are then outlined. The chapter concludes with a shift to specific recommendations and guidelines to aid clinicians in accurately assessing and successfully working with AI/ANs.

This unique book examines the physical, psychological, social, and environmental factors that support or undermine healthy development in American Indian children, including economics, biology, and public policies. The reasons for mental health issues among American Indian and Alaska Native children have not been well understood by investigators outside of tribal communities. Developing appropriate methodological approaches and evidence-based programs for helping these youths is an urgent priority in developmental science. This work must be done in ways that are cognizant of how the negative consequences of colonization contribute to American Indian and Alaska Native tribal members' underutilization of mental health services, higher therapy dropout rates, and poor response to culturally insensitive treatment programs. This book examines the forces affecting psychological development and mental health in American Indian children today. Experts from leading universities discuss factors such as family conditions, economic status, and academic achievement, as well as political, social, national, and global influences, including racism. Specific attention is paid to topics such as the role of community in youth mental health issues, depression in American Indian parents, substance abuse and alcohol dependency, and the unique socioeconomic characteristics of this ethnic group.