Fort Peck Agenda - Pacific Northwest Social Scientists, LLC (PNWSS)

Target Audience: Providers working with HPDP in Wolf Point

Included: Certificates for 20 hours of Continuing Education

Sponsored by: Fort Peck

Where: Live, 3-day conference at Sherman Inn in Wolf Point, Montana

When: July 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th

AGENDA

A Holistic Systemic Approach for Native American Mental Health Advocacy: Giving Voice, Raising Awareness, Addressing the Stigma

By Kathleen Little Leaf, MSW, LAC, SWLC

Advocacy is defined as the public support and recommendations of causes or policies. One of the most important roles as a Mental Health provider is to advocate on behalf of their clients. To advocate for people in crisis effectively, individual biases must be identified and reconciled. This class provides recommendations on how to identify and come to terms with internal biases, including:

Reflection of one’s life history and lived experience
Defining one’s purpose
Upholding values

This training covers mental health advocacy for Native Americans needing help navigating “the system,” while upholding their human rights in a social, economic, or political system.

Stigma of mental illness is a significant barrier to getting individuals the mental health help they need. Identification and strategies for dissuading Stigma in Indian Country are provided. Advocating against discrimination within the mental health field is also addressed.

Systems theory offers a holistic (well-rounded) understanding of an individual’s behavior, relationship to family and community, and the broader impacts of mainstream society and government. This systemic approach enables the advocate to identify the type of advocacy needed—by either giving voice, raising awareness, or addressing the stigma of mental health disorders. To be an advocate is to be courageous and vulnerable, to offer hope and a sense of purpose, and to promote positive mental health. ~

Walking the Red Road: Acknowledging the Trauma of Addiction and the Hopes for Spiritual Recovery from a Cultural, Holistic Lens

~By Kathleen Little Leaf, MSW, LAC, SWLC

The medical model of addiction comprises biological, neurological, genetic, and environmental sources of origin. This class includes an examination of this medical model (disease model), then demonstrates how to incorporate that knowledge into a holistic model, addressing the entire person.

The Medicine Wheel Teachings include holistic health and wellness for healing. The Indigenous phrase “Walking the Red Road” is described in different ways. Kathleen Little Leaf’s model describes it as the journey one takes to self-discovery. “Walking the Red Road” is the path to understanding self, aligning with a higher power, being respectful, forgiving, and practicing humility.

The impact of addiction within Indigenous communities is examined including the lack of resources for rural communities, mental health, addiction as an individual disease – a family disease – a community disease, and the links between addiction, trauma, and suicide.

Utilizing therapeutic evidence-based interventions are helpful for recovery. These recovery treatment models are presented with the addition of a holistic model, embracing oral traditions, language, and tribal practices.

Walking the Red Road features healing attributes and inherent values found within Native American cultures, producing a more beneficial approach to substance use and recovery.

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Co-Occurring Mental Health Issues & Addiction – Reflections, Examples, and Solutions

~By Kathleen Little Leaf, MSW, LAC, SWLC

The first session will be recordings of JC Beaumont, Randy Bear Don’t Walk, and Josiah Hugs sharing their journeys down into the abyss of addiction, what led to their rock bottom, and how they rose from this abyss and are now Walking the Red Road, teaching others how using Wellbriety Teachings.

The last hour: Kathleen Little Leaf, MSW and 20+ years as an addiction counselor and clinical consultant, working with Native Americans. Kathleen will provide clinical analysis of all three journeys:

Attachment Theory
Trauma-informed
Historical Trauma
Effects of trauma based on Erik Erikson’s 8-stages of tribal development.
Psychology: Stages of Mindset change (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, determination, action, willpower, maintenance)
Public Health: Points of failure in the system (treatment centers)
Detox centers (Issues)
Treatment centers (in-patient v out-patient) (Pros/Cons)
Post-Treatment
Rehabilitation
Post-Treatment maintenance
Medicated Assisted Treatment (pros/cons)
SOLUTIONS: Holistic Programming, Case Management

“Wellbriety teaches that in addition to achieving sobriety from addictions to alcohol and other drugs, one must reach beyond “clean and sober” and seek a life of healing and balance – mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.” [1]

This training is designed to offer mental health providers, addiction counselors, and peer support unique insight into what Native men are facing, what counseling services work and don’t work, as well as provide holistic addiction resources for Native Americans and non-Natives.

“Non-Native recovery approaches often look at addiction as an individual disease, ignoring the social, political, or economic roots of addiction. The indigenous experience adds a dimension of acknowledging sociopolitical causes without removing an individual’s need to do the hard work it takes to heal. This is new, culturally specific thinking that can also add to the field of mainstream recovery knowledge.”
Don Coyhis and Richard Simonelli [2]

Pathways of Recovery: Wellbriety. Friends of Recovery – New York (March 15, 2017). https://whitebison.org/

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Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

~By Jerry Girard, LCPC, LAC

Jerry Girard is the Counseling Director in Student Health Services at Montana State University Billings (MSUB) and the co-owner of Girard Consulting and Education. Jerry is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor as well as a Licensed Addiction Counselor with thirteen years of counseling experience at two Montana universities – MSUB and the University of Montana Western. Prior to becoming a clinical counselor, Jerry was a high school teacher and coach who worked at Outlook Schools, Judith Gap Schools, and Beaverhead County High School. In addition to providing counseling, outreach, and adjunct teaching at MSUB, Jerry is passionate about providing mental health and stigma reduction programming and trainings such as Mental Health First Aid and QPR Gatekeeper Training to all who are interested. Jerry is also available to host empathy-oriented conference presentations, guest lectures, and coalition building workshops. Jerry currently lives in Billings with Sherri, his wife of 33 years, and has three amazing adult children and two wonderful granddaughters.

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Peer Support Specialist Training

~By Johnny Talawyma, MA

Johnny offers training and consulting services to clinics and has helped clinics get their feet on the ground using peer support specialists (PSS). By supporting counselors, guiding people to recover, and identifying resources, a PSS becomes an invaluable resource to those in recovery. Johnny offers a unique training, highlighting Peer-to-Peer services, showing the significance and need for Peer-to-Peer services and mentorship within clinics, as well as offering a special continuing education opportunity for Peer Support Specialists and program clinicians working with Native American populations.

The Peer-to-Peer training model, Eight Dimensions of Wellness, will be highlighted. An overview of the roles and expectations of Peer Support Specialists within the Behavioral Health field will also be provided, including an overview of what Peer Services entails. Johnny incorporates Native American Cultural aspects of healing into his trainings, underscoring the importance for non-Natives to comprehend when working with Native populations.

Johnny Talawyma Northern Cheyenne & Hopi, BS, MS Mental Health Counseling. Johnny has a Bachelor’s in Psychological Rehabilitation and just completed his Master’s in Mental Health counseling at Montana State University Billings (MSUB). He is in the process of receiving LCPC supervision for his licensure. While getting his degrees, Johnny provided support and mentorship to individuals in need of recovery services as a Certified Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialist (CBHPSS).

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