American Indians: Presenting concerns and considerations for family therapists

Approaching the “Resistant:” Exploring East Asian International Students’ Perceptions of Therapy and Help-Seeking Behavior Before and After They Arrived in the United States

“…Research also indicates that the failure of mental health providers to practice culturally relevant forms of treatment, along with factors such as fear, mistrust, and insensitivity to the clients, have contributed to the underuse of mental health services (Brucker and Perry 1998;Kim and Omizo 2003). There is a gap between international students who have considered seeking counseling services and those who actually do so.…”

An Integrative Therapeutic Approach to the Treatment of a Depressed American Indian Client

“…There were no restrictions on the number of sessions or on the frequency of contact. Thus, unlike many American Indians who may not be able to afford paying for continued therapy, this was not the case for Andrea (Brucker & Perry, 1998). Additionally, Andrea would be able to return for treatment in the future, if necessary, by contacting the psychologist directly.…”

“…Depression was the primary symptom presentation and is not uncommon among American Indians (Brucker & Perry, 1998). Hodge and Kipnis (1996) found that unsafe living arrangements, divorce, and family trouble were highly correlated with depressive symptoms in their sample of American Indians.…”

“…To refuse to do so "would be considered an affront to the individual making the offer and a violation of the value of sharing and giving" (p. 315). Brucker and Perry (1998) also report that gift giving to the therapist as a sign of sharing or appreciation may be common with American Indian clients.…”

“…This case, although unique in many ways, contained many of the psychological issues common to American Indians, namely depression, alcoholism, and domestic violence (Brucker & Perry, 1998). Establishing trust with American Indian clients can be a long process.…”