treatment tip for working with native american clients incorporating traditional techniques

8/2/2019 Treatment Tip for Working With Native American Clients Incorporating Traditional Techniques

1/4


2/4

Madrona points out we can best serve our clients by matching the stories we use in therapy to the

clients cultural background and circumstances (5). For instance, using a story rooted in Native

American culture would likely resonate more deeply with the indigenous client than a story

based on Chinese, Caucasian, or Hispanic cultures. Dr. Mehl-Madrona also considers a doctors

discussion about test results, prescriptions, and prognoses as part of the story told in Western

medicine.

In the Native American tradition, healers and medicine men recognize the power of a story and

will often answer an individuals questions by telling a story. It is then up to the individual to

discern the meaning in the story.

Stories are also a useful way to communicate with Native American clients because they tend to

be intuitive and traditionally understand metaphor.

Explore Dreams

Exploring dreams is an ancient practice throughout most cultures. In Native American tribes,

dreams have been used to select and initiate medicine men (Duran, 1995, 48-50).

Considering the cross-cultural nature of dreams, the discussion of dreams can be a useful way to

begin therapy by bridging Native and Western beliefs. Eduardo Duran (2006) explains that he

uses dream work near the beginning of therapy so that the patient can realize fairly quickly

that the intervention resides in her and that therapy facilitates the relationship to her inner

process (41).

However, prior to beginning dream work with a client, it is important to ask the individual his or

her beliefs about dreams. Some tribes have rituals or taboos associated with discussing dreams.

For instance, some tribes believe that by discussing ones dreams, they will come true.

Once you know that the individuals tribal community does not prohibit discussing dreams, the

therapist might ask the client to record his or her dreams in a dream journal, between sessions,

and try to interpret them. The therapist can then ask the client to bring his or her dream journal

to the next session, and the therapist and client can work together on make sense out of the

dreams.

Meaning in Illness

In traditional Native healing, diseases are looked at as having a purpose. Many Native

Americans believe that when they have an illness it will teach them something and will help to

bring them wholeness.


3/4

Restoring Balance

In traditional healing, the concept of balance plays an important role. The loss of balance or

harmony may be viewed as central to dysfunctional or painful behaviors. In Native American

cultures, this balance may be viewed as being in the center of the six cardinal directions. These

six cardinal directions are: the sky and the earth, the west, north, east, south. Living in balance

within these six directions is known as the seventh sacred direction (Duran, 2006, 54-55).

In Western terms Jungs six psychological functions (introversion and extraversion, thinking,

feeling, intuiting, and sensing), present a comparable paradigm for human behavior.

It is the therapists job to determine where the client is out of balance, and help the client regain

balance, by strengthening the weaker areas.

If you have enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about working with NativeAmerican Clients, we have a 6 CE Credit call entitled:Reawaken Native Roots

To receive 20% off one of our online courses use discount code: S8RK

Work Cited

Brendel, Johnson. Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations: Strategies for Practitioners.

Ed. Nicholas A. Vacc and Susan Beck DeVaney. 4th ed. New York: Brunner-Routledge,

2003.

Duran, Eduardo. Healing the Soul Wound. New York: Teachers College P, 2006.

Duran, Eduardo and Bonnie Duran. Native American Postcolonial Psychology. New York:

State University of New York Press, Albany, 1995.

Garrett, J. T., and Michael Tlanusta Garrett.Medicine of the Cherokee: the Way of Right

Relationship. Santa Fe, NM: Bear & Pub., 1996. Print.

Mehl-Madrona, Ph.D., M.D. Narrative Medicine: The Use of History and Story in the Healing

Process. Vermont: Bear & Company, 2007.
http://www.practicalceseminars.com/OnlineCEClasses4.html#ReawakenNativeRootshttp://www.practicalceseminars.com/OnlineCEClasses4.html#ReawakenNativeRootshttp://www.practicalceseminars.com/OnlineCEClasses4.html#ReawakenNativeRootshttp://www.practicalceseminars.com/OnlineCEClasses4.html#ReawakenNativeRoots


4/4

Thomason, Timothy C. "Commonalities Between Ericksonian Psychotherapy and Native

American Healing."Journal of Mental Health Health Counseling 31.4 (2009): 351-62.

EBSCO. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.

Thomason, Timothy C. "Counseling Native Americans: An Introduction for Non-Native

American Counselors."Journal of Counseling & Development69.March/April (1991):

321-27.EBSCO. Web. 11 Feb. 2010.

Witko, Tawa M. Mental Health Care for Urban Indians: Clinical Insights from Native

Practitioners. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2006.

treatment tip for working with native american clients incorporating traditional techniques

Documents