Culture forms an integral part of humans. Humans are shaped by their culture and the culture is also shaped by humans. Therefore, culture is inseparable from humans because some behaviors, values and beliefs are deeply rooted in culture. As a result, it is important to understand how cultural aspects regulate the transformation and expression of human psyche. This is particularly important in psychology where interpersonal interaction is required in order to deliver the best outcome to the client. One of the cultures that arouse great academic interest is the Native American culture. This is because Native Americans have a set of values and beliefs that are of interest to psychology, medicine and education.
In the U.S alone, more than four million people identify themselves as Native Americans. As a group, Native Americans have special attributes that give them a common identity. For example, Native Americans value spirituality, harmony, balance, relation and wellness. Although their family structures differ from one tribe to another, almost all Native Americans share these attributes. The enormous diversity of Native Americans finds a common link in their core values and beliefs.
For example, spirituality is a way of life for many Native Americans. Although there is no explicit mention of the word religion in many Native American languages, spirituality forms an integral part of their daily lives. The common belief is that all things are under the control of a Great Spirit; plants, animals and spatial objects are under the direct authority of the Great Spirit. They also believe that the earth is the epicenter of all the spirits. Other objects such as the sun are also thought to hold great power.
The strong belief in spirituality makes Native Americans pray individually and in groups. Spirituality is also linked with daily occurrences such as dreams; all dreams are thought to be inspired by spirits. To underscore the importance of spirituality in their lives, Native Americans also connect spirituality with wellness, balance and harmony of an individual. For this reason, Native Americans have medicine men (also known as shamans) that use spirituality to heal the sick and interpret dreams.
Apart from believing in spirituality, Native Americans also value harmony and balance. The basic tenet is that there is need for balance and harmony within the families as well as in the environment. Native Americans place a lot of emphasis on the importance of seeking harmony and balance. This is supposed to happen both inwardly and outwardly. Attributes of harmony and balance are evident in sharing, cooperation, respect for older people, and the inclination for natural phenomena. A visit to the museums with Native American artifacts reveals that the people value the earth. They believe that individuals have a responsibility to the environment in the same way they have a responsibility to their families.
Native Americans are also strong on relations. In the Native American culture, Relation is symbolized by a Circle of Life, which is evident through art forms and traditions. The circle consists of four elements (fire, wind, water and earth), with each element denoting another important aspect of life. For example, in the Cherokee tradition, the four elements represent spirit, mind, body and nature respectively. The Circle of Life, indicating the relationship between nature, the mind, the spirit and the body, is also symbolic in the sense that it portrays life as a circle from childhood to adulthood. The first circle represents the spirit, the second circle represents the family, the third circle represents nature, while the last circle represents the spirit.
Another important aspect in the traditions and beliefs of the Native Americans is wellness. In many Native American traditions, the emphasis is on seeking harmony with self, the people around, and with one’s environment as a means to achieving wellness. The premise behind this idea is that physical remedies are not enough; there is also need to correct the physiological malfunctions within the body.
The intricate and complex cultural aspects of the Native American culture do not mean that the people require less medical and clinical attention. They require these services, albeit with a good understanding of their culture. According to Thomason, “Although Native Americans experience, anxiety, and several other psychological disorders at a rate higher than the general population, they underutilize mental services” (2012). This could partly be explained by the fact that Native Americans believe in spirituality as a means to achieving wellness. However, it is important to note that more than half of the Native Americans live in the urban areas hence they are more likely to seek clinical services such as counseling compared to their counterparts in the rural areas.
With the knowledge that Native Americans require a slightly different counseling program from the conventional one, it is important to know how to build rapport and overcome barriers using appropriate counseling theories and techniques. For example, it can be helpful to use self-disclosure as a means of encouraging the Native American clients to give their part of the story. This would in turn enable the counselor to gain trust of the clients. It would also be helpful to use “match and mirror” counseling approach when dealing with Native American clients instead of using the conventional SOLER model. The “match and mirror” approach enables counselors to match the verbal and non verbal behavior of the client.
When it comes to the use of counseling theories and techniques, the use of traditional counseling techniques would work better for Native clients. Such strategies include being genuine, being warm, and being non-directive. It would also be useful to allow the clients the time to think and respond. Research has also shown that cognitive behavioral therapies would be useful when dealing with Native American clients. However, much more research is required to determine the most appropriate psychological treatments for Native clients facing specific disorders. Currently, there is little empirical research into the appropriate treatments for people in specific ethnicities, cultures and racial populations.
Lastly, it is important to understand the traditional healing methods used by the Native Americans. This would make counseling culturally appropriate to the Native clients. Although the debate on whether to incorporate traditional healing techniques into counseling is still ongoing, many Native Americans are of the opinion that Native spiritual healing techniques should be incorporated into counseling. However, there is a caveat. Non- Native counselors should not use tribal healing techniques in counseling. The use of strategies such as talking circles can be used by a culturally competent counselor trained in the use of Native American healing techniques.
Some counselors could be of the opinion that Native American clients demand a lot from non-Native clients. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The cultural differences should not be a barrier to counseling. All the counselor needs to do is to understand the different culture of Native American clients. As indicated earlier, Native Americans value relations. A study done by Thomason (in 2012) found out that more than 50 % of the participants preferred dealing with a Native American counselor because they are more effective. However, this does not mean that Native Americans would not consult a non native counselor. In fact, the respondents appreciated that there are many non-Native counselors who are as effective as Native ones. They also understand the fact that native counselors maybe few and far in between. For this reason, there is a good number of Native Americans who understand that culturally competent non-Native counselors can offer the same quality of services as native counselors. The ethnicity of the counselor can only aid in building rapport with the client, but cannot guarantee good outcome.
Native Americans have a special culture, which has been passed down the generations. Although there are many tribes making up the Native Americans, they share almost identical beliefs on five key areas: wellness, spirituality, relation, harmony and balance. The different cultural formation presents challenges to non-Native counselors dealing with Native clients. However, a good understanding of the culture of Native Americans can eliminate some of the barriers and create a rapport between the counselor and the client. The counselor only needs to be open to the special cultural perspectives found in Native American culture, and use appropriate counseling theories and techniques as required.
References
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Herring, H. D. (1999). Counseling with Natove American Indians and Alaska Natives. Thousand
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Thomason, T. (2012). Recommendations for counselling native Americans: Results of a Survey .
Tsai, G., & Alanis, L. (2004). The Native American Culture: A Historical and Reflective
Perspective. NASP Communique , 32 (8), 23-27.
