A TEACHING CURRICULUM
WORKSHOP ON
AMERICAN INDIAN
MENTAL HEALTH

 

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Please join us for an exciting FREE workshop, A Teaching Curriculum Workshop on American Indian Mental Health. This workshop is being organized by the UCLA Center for Research, Education, Training, and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities (CRETSCMHD), the Center for American Indian & Indigenous Research and Education (CAIIRE), and the United American Indian Involvement (UAII), and will be held at the California Endowment in Downtown Los Angeles on April 5th, 2007 from 8:30-4:30 pm with a reception to follow from 4:30-5:30pm.

The goal of this workshop is to enhance the teaching skills of those responsible for cultural competence trainings, or those who instruct courses on American Indian or minority mental health. The workshop is designed to broaden the knowledge, awareness and skill base of participants to better equip them for teaching about American Indian mental health in an effort to reduce health disparities. By increasing knowledge and awareness of the mental health issues and needs that are unique to American Indians, we hope to expand the pool of instructors who teach about the culture, mental health and well-being of American Indians in Southern California. We are targeting six Southern California counties through this workshop, from San Bernardino County to San Diego County, in terms of providing information about the mental health of American Indians living in these areas. Participants will also receive toolkit materials following the event that will be developed from the workshop.

Workshop presentations and hands-on experiential skill-building sessions will focus on:

  • Increasing knowledge about mental health and common disorders in American Indians;
  • Understanding how American Indian history and acculturation influences perceptions of health and well-being;
  • Debunking stereotypes about American Indians through discussion and exercises that can be used in classroom teaching;
  • Illustrating cultural approaches, such as Talking Circles and Storytelling, in teaching about American Indian mental health;
  • Identifying co-morbidities in mental health problems and promoting better practices with urban American Indians;
  • Exploring Traditional Medicine and Western mental health practices and ways to integrate these approaches;
  • Examining the effects of multigenerational trauma and foster care on the mental health of American Indian youth.
    •

    Participants will be selected based on their likelihood of teaching or utilizing this material professionally. The program is designed primarily for instructors at universities, colleges, medical and other professional schools in Southern California who teach courses on American Indian or minority mental health, as well as local, state or federal instructors responsible for cultural competency trainings. We hope to recruit mental and other health professionals from across Southern California (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Imperial and San Diego counties) to participate in this important workshop. We will also have a limited number of spots for graduate students. Graduate students are welcome to apply to join us for this informative day on American Indian mental health. Those who attend will receive access to toolkit materials that will be useful in teaching about American Indian mental health.

    To apply for the workshop, please click here and complete the online application form by Saturday, March 24th, 2007. If you have any questions, please send them to Laurel Methot at lmethot@ucla.edu.

    This workshop is being funded through resources from the American Psychological Association and the NIH Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities.

    We hope that you will join us in this effort to improve instructional resources and methodologies in American Indian mental health!

     

    Sincerely,

    Vickie M. Mays, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
    Director, UCLA Center on Research, Education, Training and Strategic
    Communication on Minority Health Disparities (CRETSCMHD)

    Felicia Schanche Hodge, Dr.P.H.
    Director, UCLA Center on American Indian & Indigenous Research
    and Education (CAIIRE)

    Monique Smith, Psy.D.
    Administrative Clinical Director, United American Indian Involvement (UAII)