Training Counselors, Recovery Support (Peer) Specialists, Motivational Interviewers, and Prevention Specialists

Working as a culture consultant almost always includes training staff. And everyone is not a counselor/therapist. There is support staff, which will include nurses, doctors, technicians, cooks, etc.

I have been told by staff that they need training because people of different cultures often find staff simply don't understand. They know nothing about what it has been like for them.

Many staff is upset that they were not ever even taught the basics in school. And why weren't they, they want to know? Some students will say taking a diversity class, did not prepare them. What they remember about Native Americans is that they often do not make direct eye contact, which is not enough to help them work with Native American program participants.

Much of the training for the trainers are considered American Indians 101. Just basics or introductory information of history, treaties, socialization, components of culture. And then more specifics to who the Native American tribes are in Minnesota, languages spoken, how many Native American people are living in Minnesota, etc.

Discussion about relationships being the most important thing in working with almost everyone is not news to most people trained. It is simply the differences of how to relate. Most Native American people want to know where you are from. Not necessarily where you live now, but sometimes that is important too. Who you are related to. Who your family is. How they may know you or people you know or what you know about where they are from.

Having a connection is important. Sometimes it is clan (knowing and understanding clans can be helpful), being a recovering person (for the peer specialist for example). Understanding how Native American people may benefit from Motivational interviewing as they already have the spirit and will like the starting from where they are at. Hearing them by using the skills. Understanding some of the socialization, and how that may make a difference in your work with others.

Recently, I have been involved in updating a Native American curriculum that has been used to train Substance Abuse and Mental Health staff in Minnesota. It has been trained on since 2009, but it has stalled for a couple of years with the pandemic. We talked about putting it online but most of us thought it wasn't a good idea. Nor was the culturally specific motivational interview training designed for online use.

And ideally, we think a Native American curriculum training followed by a culturally adapted motivational interview training would be the way to go.

My specialty is always to talk about how by the time our people get to treatment, they have trauma, abuse, grief, and loss issues that will benefit from doing grief work. Now many people think that means nothing but grief work and it doesn't. It also means that many people do not know what grief work entails.

And some counselors have told me, "We used to do that in the 70s and 80s, but there is too much paperwork now and we have to pick a therapy and stick to that."

I recently received an email that asked if I could remember a training that I gave in Leech Lake in 2010. Hahahaha is how I responded to that comment. Not to the person asking though. Instead, I contacted the other person that received that ask and we chatted and laughed. Just how many trainings have we done since 2010?

Many, many trainings that were on the Native American curriculum, Culturally adapted motivational interview training, peer support specialist training, Trauma, grief, and loss training, Shame, and guilt was an advanced Native American curriculum training, reiki, and others. I did a training on retreats. That wasn't the title but that pretty much was the topic.

I can go on and on about training on the subjects listed above, however, it is sufficient to know that it is important to have some specific training when working with Native Americans or other diverse populations. If you are not interested in receiving that training, I recommend you not work with those diverse populations. Most states have culturally specific programs or programs where staff has been trained to work with diverse populations. Thank you.