Schools and Programs
Oklahoma State University
The
American Indians into Psychology
program,
which is based in the department of psychology at
Oklahoma State University in
Stillwater,
has a 6-week
long Summer Enrichment Program for American Indian
psychology students who are interested in graduate study
in psychology. Students participate in research projects
and shadow psychologists, social workers, and other
professionals who provide direct services to Indian
people. Students also attend weekly seminars on topics
relevant to American Indian psychology.
John Chaney, PhD
(Mvskoke Creek)
Director, American Indians into Psychology
University
of Montana
A two-week
long summer program is available for up to 10
undergraduate American Indian students who are
interested in a career in clinical psychology.
Students attend research and clinical presentations
given by American Indian graduate students in clinical
psychology. Activities are organized around such
topics as depression, suicide, and fetal alcohol
syndrome. Emphasis is placed on preparing for the
Graduate Record Examination and developing a
successful application to graduate school. Graduate
programs in psychology differ greatly, so
Gyda Swaney, Flathead,
PhD, Director of the INPSYCH program
says, “We try to help students become good consumers of
education. We ask them, ‘What are your goals? Do your
goals match with the program you’re applying to?’
Without a good match students aren’t going to succeed.
Swaney says that all of the INPSYCH summer programs are
different, so students can benefit from attending more
than one summer program.
As part of a Bridges to Baccalaureate Program, every summer
two tribal college students work with Swaney in her lab.
Mentoring
is a key source of support for undergraduate and graduate
psychology students in the INPSYCH program. Swaney says,
“Our research lab follows the mentorship model. Native
undergraduate students, Native graduate students, and I, a
Native faculty member, work together on projects. Outside
of the lab we also meet together. We also travel together
to events such as the meeting of the Society of Indian
Psychologists.”
As of the summer of 2007, four American Indian students
have earned their PhDs in clinical psychology: Darren
Calhoun, Shoshone and Arapahoe; Billie Joe Kipp, Blackfeet;
Annie Belcourt-Dittloff, Blackfeet; and Jera Stewart,
Flathead. Dr. Stewart is currently in a post-doctoral
program in neuropsychology. Upon completing the program,
she might be the first Native neuropsychologist. Five other
American Indian graduate students at the University of
Montana will soon earn PhDs.
Gyda Swaney, PhD
(Flathead)
Director, INPSYCH Program
University
of North Dakota
Established
in 1992, the primary goals of
Indians into Psychology Doctoral
Education (INPSYDE) at the
University of North Dakota are to increase the number of
American Indians with doctoral degrees in psychology and
enhance the cross-cultural understandings and
competencies of all psychology students regarding mental
health care for Indian people.
The two-week long INPSYDE Summer Institute is an enrichment
program for American Indian junior and senior high school
students who are considering a career in psychology or a
related discipline. The program focuses on helping students
learn to build a strong academic foundation in psychology
and related sciences. Students live in a dormitory at UND
under the supervision of counselors.
The Psychology Department at UND currently dedicates two
slots each year to incoming Native American graduate
students. The INPSYDE provides academic assistance, career
preparation and social and cultural support to both
undergraduate and graduate students. Financial assistance
is given when possible. Some services are provided through
cooperative agreements with other American Indian support
programs at UND. UND’s psychology department dedicates two
slots each year to incoming Native American graduates
students.
Clinical placements are available in American Indian
communities: the Circle of Life School at White Earth,
Minnesota; the school system in Belcourt, North Dakota, and
the Little Voices Group Home in Sisseton, South Dakota.
Doug
McDonald, PhD, the
director of INPSYDE, reports that to date, 14 INPSYDE
students have earned their PhDs and more than 25 INPSYDE
students have earned MAs. The graduates are all working
with Native communities. Several of them are back on
their home reservations. Most graduates are with the
Indian Health Service (IHS), the primary funding source
for the program.
Doug
McDonald, PhD
(Oglala Lakota Nation)
Director,
Indians Into Psychology Doctoral Education (INPSYDE)
In an interview for Health Workforce News, Dr.
McDonald discusses INPSYDE, the great need for Native
psychologists, and other issues.
Utah
State University
The
American Indian Support Project
(AISP) based
in the psychology department at Utah State University
was established in 1986 to address the shortage of
American Indian mental health professionals and school
psychologists. The psychology department has remained
committed to graduating American Indian students with
the master's degree in school psychology and the PhD in
the combined psychology program
(Clinical/Counseling/School).
AISP recruits and provides support for not only American
Indian students but other ethnic minority students as well.
Every year students in AISP have the opportunity to meet
American Indian, Alaska Native, and First Nations
psychologists and psychology graduate students as they help
host the annual Convention of American Indian Psychologists
and Psychology Graduate Students. They can also participate
in the retreat that precedes the convention as well as the
annual meeting of the Society of Indian
Psychologists that meets
in Utah in conjunction with the convention.
From 1990 to
2009, 29 Native students have received one or more degrees.
Fourteen students earned the MS degree, primarily in school
psychology. Seven of the 15 students who earned PhD degrees
also earned MS degrees on their way to their doctorate
degree.
Carolyn
Barcus, EdD
(Blackfeet)
Gayle Skawennio Morse PhD (Mohawk)
Co-Directors, The
American Indian Support Project