Mental Health in American Indian Communities

2 Credits.

Focuses on 1) the history of mental health service delivery 2) current status of mental health problems, and 3) strategies for treatment and prevention interventions in American Indian (AI) communities. Examines differences between western and traditional AI approaches to mental health. Highlights public health concepts for the development and/or replication of successful treatment and prevention interventions. Explores ideas for long-term promotion of community mental wellness among reservation communities. Includes lectures from a variety of mental health experts with direct experience in Indian communities from a wide variety of disciplines and cultural orientations. Uses lectures, followed by class discussions, to explore potential cultural, tribal-specific, regional, or universal approaches to address specific mental health disparities, mental health care delivery, and more general prevention.