Testimonials

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“Native American Cultural Sensitivity for Suicide Prevention” Workshop

The introduction to concepts of “ritual” and the metaphor of the “wheel” provided for an easy transition to a more detailed review of Native American “culture”. Ms. Little Leaf was careful to emphasize the differences between “tribal” groups, demythologizing the universal “Indian” stereotype. Culture was examined in terms of traditional values and resultant behaviors, the importance of language and song, and the negative impact on those unique values and their expression through colonizing efforts to irradicate Native American culture and force assimilation.   I am very grateful for this valuable training experience. It will serve me well in my educational and counseling responsibilities. Thank you very much!

“Suicide Prevention BASICS”

I really appreciated Kathleen Little Leaf’s suicide awareness presentation. Including the Blackfoot Prayer at the beginning of her presentation was a very nice inclusion of her Native culture, and I appreciated her sharing that with the viewers.  The inclusion of the the Suicide Awareness Poem was also an encouraging reminder of how we can provide hope for clients struggling with suicidal ideation.  I found the 2020 statistics on suicide very eye opening.  I know in my mind that suicide is problematic, but those statistics really showed me how pervasive it is.  THe native suicide rates were very disconcerting, also.  It seems like so much of the struggle that young people have on the reservations is so hidden and never spoken about.. I appreciate Ms. Little Leaf bringing attention to it in this presentation.  It has been discussed over the pandemic how much mental health is suffering.   THe COVID impact info related to the mental health issues, substance usage, and suicidal ideation was very eye opening and speaks to the increased need for mental health help.  The flow chart of Levels of Urgency related to suicidality was very helpful.  When we as practitioners find ourselves dealing with a client who is expressing suicidal thoughts/ideation, it can be very stressful for us practitioners.  Having the flow chart helps us focus concretely on the discussion and clearly understanding where our client falls in the levels of urgency.  Having the specific questions to ask is a very good thing to have on hand when we are in a very stressful situation dealing with a suicidal client.  There is no shame in referring to it when trying to maintain  professional calm and being clear and helping the client get the help they need, without having to draw questions from memory.  I like the Resilient Zone slide because it helps conceptualize healthy functioning for a person who has been struggling with Suicidal ideation and thoughts.  Helps things be less vague and more specific when focusing on healing.
Very good job.  Thank you for sharing this.  I am bookmarking it on my You Tube to utilize as a resource while working with my clients. ~LCSW

“Introduction to the Psychology of Gender for LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention” Workshop The complexity of the spectrum for gender, identity, orientation, as well as expression is really quite impressive. I genuinely loved the Flying Gender Unicorn slide because it demonstrates the complexity of humans in a very nice visual. The next thing I was really keyed into was the brain/thoughts of women vs men. I was under the general impression that thoughts are different for the genders because of our social roles, but to really be able to nail down that we aren’t so different is really impressive.

“Introduction to the Psychology of Gender for LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention” Workshop

I appreciated the level of the course as I have at times felt intimidated by my lack of LGBTQ competency as a white, hetero, cis-woman- I have, at times, felt that I was not using terminology properly and could offend a client. I particularly appreciated the section on gender role attitudes and have often noticed that society “allows” women to have “male characteristics” more favorably than a male displaying female characteristics; I was better able to conceptualize this after the presentation.

I generally feel that this course helped me feel more at-ease (less intimidated) with moving towards my weak or blind-spots in this population and am likely to take more courses on further supporting LGBTQ persons in the near future.  

“Native American Cultural Sensitivity for Suicide Prevention” Workshop

I am a children’s counselor on the reservation, and I constantly remind myself of the historical trauma and have empathic understanding of their culture and the generational trauma that is affecting the children now.  I am mindful about the importance of the medicine wheel and I believe that we can all incorporate these wonderful models into our own lives.  I teach a lot of mindfulness to help the client’s widen their window of tolerance as they navigate through their lives. ~LCPC Attendee

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“Native American Cultural Sensitivity for Suicide Prevention” Workshop

The use of ritual could potentially be useful in crisis situations (or treatment in general) as well, depending on whether the native client is more traditional or more “assimilated,” to use Kathy’s language.  Cultural sensitivity is of paramount importance when a clinician in the dominant culture is serving a minority population or one with a different ethnicity.  It is extremely important to be aware of my whiteness, my privilege, my unconscious biases, my ignorance, and my potential for committing micro-aggressions in order to serve effectively and with compassion.  I must do my own work.   ~LCSW Attendee

“Native American Cultural Sensitivity for Suicide Prevention” Workshop

I learned a lot from Kathy sharing her personal experiences with the impact of her parents being taken away from their families and forced into boarding school.  

Her presentation deepened my understanding of the extent of the impact of historical trauma, and of how alcoholism is a manifestation of historical trauma in Native American communities. Gabor Mate’s talk about how addictions and illnesses originate in childhood trauma was really important to hear as well. ~LMFT

“Introduction to the Psychology of Gender for LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention” Workshop

I think the most informative was just how complicated gender and sex are, and knowing that that alone makes it easier for me to be more understanding and knowledgeable about treating or interacting with each individual.  I knew gender exists on a continuum, but this taught me much more about  the exact continuums that exist- the sex, gender identity, expression and sexual orientation continuums- and the importance of being aware of those. 

Even the difference between sex and gender was informative. I was fascinated by the graphics and discussion of the in-utero progression of embryonic development. This, along with the human development part, explained clearly how similar male and female are and the myriad of factors that influence human sexuality.  Recognizing the role this sexuality plays on the societal plane is so important in today’s world- the statistics provided on suicide and poverty, distress will help me to address that more effectively.   ~LCSW

“Suicide Prevention BASICS”

I’m impressed with the statistics:  the presence of alcohol and violence raise suicidal concerns; of those who attempt suicide, females are 3 times more likely than males yet males are 77.9% successful while females are 22.03% successful; Native Americans are at higher risk than the general population; and from June 24-30, 2020 during COVID pandemic 40% of completed suicides included those with a substance use disorder or mental health issue.

“Introduction to the Psychology of Gender for LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention” Workshop

Gender is on a spectrum! So much of how western culture has based and promoted understanding of gender has been limited to the social constricts that have regarded gender as binary and oppressive in nature (i.e. male > female). A helpful tool to use regarding understanding identity is the gingerbread person which breaks down gender identity, attraction, sex, & expression.

Using preferred pronouns in greetings helps to normalize gender complexity, increases inclusivity, and helps identify yourself as a helpful/safe person. People who cannot express who they truly are inside, whose rights are continuously disregarded and fall into different intersections that experience greater discrimination are at significant risk for completing suicide especially folx in the transgender community. Help guardians process fear so they can support and empower their youth. Amazing things happen when we feel safe to express our true self! Thank you for sharing the extra resources and speaking on such an important subject! ~LCSW

“Introduction to the Psychology of Gender for LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention” Workshop

Thanks so much for providing this training. I really appreciate you speaking about intersectionality. I also thought that you speaking to the fluidity of gender and that we all have changes in chemistry which impacts our gender presentations.

The fact that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to attempt suicide, means that we need to emphasize safety when Suicidal Ideation is prevalent. The different types of conflict concepts were very helpful for me to learn. I currently have a minor client who identifies as a transboy, and he is struggling with these different conflicts. The information for parents of trans children and how to talk to them will be helpful for me to share with the minor’s family. However, they may be a family that is “beyond my help” because they are very fearful. ~LCSW

“Suicide Prevention BASICS”

The speaker did express a wide range of experience and cultural expression. When she used more recent suicide statistics for both Caucasian and Native populations, it was a bit surprising to see that the suicide rates are so high in men for death, but women in attempts. ~Clinical Staff

“Suicide Prevention BASICS”

I work as a Targeted-Youth Case Manager, so I work with youth who suffer with suicidal ideations. The training gave me the insight to remember that girls are more likely to attempt suicide; however, boys are more likely to successfully die by suicide.