Enhancing Mental Health Outcomes for Indigenous Clients by Embodying Decolonizing Principles
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Authors
Sharp, Laura
Issue Date
2023-04-25
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
mental health , indigenous mental health , decolonizing , ethics , ethical practice , examining bias , psychology , counselling psychology , cultural competency , Canada , calls to action , professional , self-reflection , reflective practice
Alternative Title
Abstract
The following research paper explores how non-Indigenous practitioners can work to enhance mental health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples by embodying decolonizing principles. First, the author will position themselves within Canada’s history, the paper will then briefly discuss the ongoing harms the profession of psychology has inflicted on Indigenous communities through colonial violence. This will be followed by a critical analysis of the current literature that will highlight individual, institutional, and social responsibilities in the decolonization process. Subsequently, consideration of implications for counseling psychology, and areas for future research are discussed. Recommendations for applied clinical practice can then be offered. The manuscript concludes with a reflexive personal statement. However, the entire document was written through reflexive practice (Allen, 2023). Within the Blackfoot 5 territories where I live, I sought out professional and academic guidance from Blackfoot professionals, as well as immersion and genuine relationship building with the diverse Indigenous community who currently live here. Through these choices I sought to develop strategies to question my "own attitudes, thought processes, values, assumptions, prejudices and habitual actions, to strive to understand [my] complex role in relation to others." (Allen, 2023).
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Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess