Arthur McDonald
Enhancing
Care of the Underserved
Arthur
McDonald, Oglala Lakota, PhD, was the first American
Indian man to earn a PhD in psychology. In 2000 he was
awarded the Presidential Citation American
Psychological Association (APA) for his “invaluable
contributions not only to psychology but to American
Indians and Alaskan Natives and underserved people
throughout the nation.” The following article was
published in the Autumn 2000 issue of Winds of Change.
Dr. Arthur McDonald’s distinguished career began in 1966,
when he received a PhD in psychology. For six years
following his graduation from the University of South
Dakota, McDonald taught psychology at Montana State
University in Bozeman where he became head of the
department of psychology.
From the start, McDonald was keenly aware of the need for
American Indian psychologists who could contribute to the
health of Native people and serve as role models for future
generations of Native psychologists. McDonald worked hard
to bring Native people into psychology, but he was
discouraged. “The federal government does it backwards,” he
says. “They were willing to support Indian students in
graduate programs, but there weren’t many undergraduates to
draw from. The pipeline needed to go back much further.”
Aware that students who want to become psychologists need
to begin preparing early if they want to enter this
competitive field, McDonald left Montana State and returned
to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation where he served as
director of education. In time he was instrumental in
founding Dull Knife Memorial College where he was academic
dean from 1984 until 1986 and then president until 1995.
McDonald realized that most students at Dull Knife had
little or no exposure to Indian psychologist role models,
so over the years he brought in 17 Indian psychology
graduate students who taught classes and counseled
students. He was also aware of the need for funding for
Indians in psychology and so led others in urging Congress
to support efforts that eventually led to the INPSYCH
programs.
McDonald knew that Indian people have a great deal to offer
psychology. It was difficult, however, to help non-Indians
understand this because, says McDonald, the “encyclopedias
of healing are written in the Elders’ heads”. This
knowledge is “stored in the libraries of walking, not the
libraries of the universities”.
Today McDonald is President of the Morning Star Memorial
Foundation, a foundation that supports Indian people in
such areas as youth, education, elder care, mental health,
and preservation of the language. He continues to be a role
model for many people, including his own children. One of
his sons, Dr. Doug
McDonald, is a
psychologist and head of the INPSYDE program at
the University of North Dakota. Another son is a
painter, and his daughter is a licensed counselor.
Over the years when McDonald advocated for Indian people at
various meetings, he would come home discouraged and tell
his wife that no one seemed to be listening to him. After
the award ceremony at the APA Convention, which included
spontaneous tributes by scores of people whose lives have
been touched by him, McDonald’s wife pointed out that
people had indeed been listening. McDonald has made
significant contributions to Indian people and is
continuing to do so.
This
article above originally was published in the Autumn 2000
issue of
Winds of Change. (The cover
artist is Roy Henry Vickers, Tsimshian and English.)
The following is the statement the Patrick DeLeon, read on
August 6, 2000 when he presented the Presidential Citation
to Arthur L. McDonald, PhD.
On the occasion of its 108th Annual Meeting, the American
Psychological Association wishes to formally recognize your
tireless efforts to gain increased psychological services
to American Indians and Alaska Natives and other
underserved populations in rural areas.
You have been an ardent advocate, raising awareness of the
pervasive and sometimes devastating health problems of
American Indians, including: chronic disease, disability,
alcohol and drug abuse, which are far above national norms,
and adolescent suicide that is the highest in the nation.
At the same time, you have continually reminded us that
there exists great strength, beauty, and wisdom within
American Indian and Alaska Native cultures and communities
that serves as an inspiration for people everywhere.
Your tenacity, patience and perseverance has been
instrumental in forging alliances with individuals and
organizations seeking to gain support from Members of
Congress for programs that would increase psychological
services to American Indians. Because of your vision and
personal commitment, in 1992 Congress established the
Indians into Psychology Program - the only federal program
dedicated to the education and training of American Indian
psychologists.
In addition, your work in the area of rural health has been
extraordinary. You not only helped develop the rural
Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Handbook to provide
behavioral health care to rural populations, you also
increased the awareness of the need for including cultural
competence in all projects of the APA Committee on Rural
Health.
Through your participation in the APA Commission on Ethnic
Minority Recruitment, Retention and Training, the Diversity
Project 2000, and the APA National Institute for General
Medical Sciences Project, you have promoted
culturally-appropriate training of future American Indian
and Alaska Native psychologists at various levels of
psychology's educational pipeline.
Additionally, your participation in the Center for Mental
Health Services School Violence Prevention Software Project
is ensuring that the nation's school and youth violence
prevention efforts will not only speak to the needs of
American Indian youth, but will also underscore the
strengths of their families, communities, and cultures.
Your long and passionate service on the Advisory Committee
of the Minority Fellowship Program has resulted in
increased sensitivity to training issues that affect
American Indian students. You have enlightened and
challenged doctoral psychology programs thereby
strengthening and improving the quality and effectiveness
of their programs, and providing increased support for
ethnic and racial minority students.
Recently, in support of psychological science, you alerted
the Montana Congressional delegation about the importance
of APA's Decade of Behavior Initiative, and garnered 100
percent participation from your Senators. Because of your
efforts, Senators Conrad Burns and Max Baucus sent a letter
to President Clinton on behalf of the Decade initiative.
In honor and
recognition of these and many other invaluable
contributions that you have made, not only to psychology,
but to American Indians and Alaska Natives and underserved
people throughout the nation, it is with great pleasure
that the American Psychological Association presents this
Presidential Citation.