Am Indian Alsk Native Ment Health Res. 2023;30(1):136-150. doi: 10.5820/aian.3001.2023.136.
Indigenous communities suffer from the highest rates of mental health disparities of any ethnic group in the United States, as well as experience significant amounts of historical and contemporary trauma including violence, racism, and childhood abuse. Unfortunately, the mental health workforce is unprepared to effectively work with this population due to the influence of stereotypes, bias, and lack of training. A 90-minute training for mental health agency employees using decolonizing methods was delivered to improve knowledge of and empathy for Indigenous patient populations (N = 166). Results indicated that the training increased participants' Indigenous knowledge and beliefs across demographic variables and may increase aspects of empathy including awareness. This training was feasible for a wide variety of mental health employees and resulted in increased learning about Indigenous people, which is a critical starting point for mental health professionals working with this population. Suggestions are offered to train mental health providers to deliver culturally responsive care to Indigenous clients and families and for decolonizing mental health professions.
原住民社区遭受着美国任何族裔群体中最高的心理健康差距，同时也经历着大量的历史和当代创伤，包括暴力、种族主义和儿童虐待。不幸的是，由于刻板印象、偏见和缺乏培训的影响，心理健康工作者还没有准备好有效地为这一人群服务。我们使用去殖民化方法为心理健康机构的员工提供了一个 90 分钟的培训，以提高他们对原住民患者群体的了解和同理心（N=166）。结果表明，培训提高了参与者在不同人口变量下的原住民知识和信仰，并且可能会增加同理心的各个方面，包括意识。这种培训对于各种各样的心理健康员工来说都是可行的，并且可以增加他们对原住民的了解，这是与这一人群合作的心理健康专业人员的一个关键起点。我们提出了一些建议，以培训心理健康提供者为原住民客户和家庭提供文化响应式护理，并使心理健康专业去殖民化。
