You are not a statistic. You are a descendant of survivors.
Stories, Native-led crisis lines, and culturally rooted resources — because Western therapy alone was never going to be enough.
2.5x
higher suicide rate for American Indian/Alaska Native teens vs. the U.S. average.
Source: HHS Office of Minority Health / CDC, 2023
~2x
Native Americans are nearly twice as likely to die by suicide as the U.S. population overall.
Source: HHS Office of Minority Health / CDC, 2022
<1%
of U.S. psychologists are American Indian or Alaska Native — culturally matched care often requires telehealth.
Source: APA Center for Workforce Studies, 2021 data
What we know about Indigenous mental health
What gets called 'addiction' or 'depression' in Indigenous communities is often the inherited weight of genocide, forced relocation, boarding schools, and stolen children. Historical trauma is not a metaphor — it shows up in the body.
Western medicine and traditional healing are not competing options. Sweat lodges and SSRIs, ceremony and CBT, sponsor and elder — they work together. The most successful Indigenous recovery models, like Wellbriety, were built on exactly this combination.
Native therapists, IHS resources, and tribally specific programs exist. They can be hard to find, especially off-reservation. The directories below are the best starting points.
Crisis support for our community
Free, confidential lines, several of them run by and for this community. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Native and Strong Lifeline (Washington State)
988 (press 4)Native crisis counselors, 24/7. The press-4 option is for callers in Washington State — everywhere else, 988 connects you to your local center.
StrongHearts Native Helpline
1-844-762-8483Culturally appropriate domestic, sexual, and dating violence helpline for Native Americans.
Stories from our community
Illustrative recovery stories that reflect common experiences in the indigenous community. Names and details are not those of real people.
Therapist directories & community resources
Vetted national directories where you can find a therapist or support program rooted in indigenous community context.
WhiteBison / Wellbriety Movement
Culturally adapted 12-step Wellbriety meetings, training, and recovery resources.
NICOA
National Indian Council on Aging — includes the Native American Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Indian Health Service
Federal program providing behavioral health services to AI/AN people through tribal and urban programs.
We R Native
Comprehensive health resource by and for Native youth — mental health, identity, relationships.
One Sky Center
National resource center on AI/AN mental health and substance use, based at OHSU.
Related guides
Reading & listening
- The Mishomis Book — Edward Benton-Banai
- Braiding Sweetgrass — Robin Wall Kimmerer
- All My Relations Podcast