The Cultural Self as Locus for Assessment and Intervention With American Indians/Alaska Natives

The author compares mental health services from Anglo‐American and Native perspectives, focusing on the cultural self as a suggested locus for greater credibility and increased use of these services. Cultural competence is recommended as a model for community‐specific policy for the design and implementation of services to increase the probability of generalization to various tribal settings. Cultural competence of Anglo‐American providers with this population is discussed.