Indigenous People's Day

 “The New Mexico Clinical Supervision Steering Committee recognizes and honors Indigenous Peoples Day. We celebrate the strength, resilience, and diverse practices of our tribal communities, and are committed to listening to their voices and honoring their contributions. Here in New Mexico, we are surrounded by the shared gifts of our Indigenous colleagues and community members, who express their diverse cultures, wisdom, and heritage through art, music, research, and cutting-edge mental health interventions.

As we celebrate Indigenous land stewardship and unique cultural practices, we also take time to recognize the genocide and oppression our Indigenous brothers and sisters have experienced on their own land, and we recognize these communities continue to grieve the loss of children and generations who were stolen from their families and placed in residential schools that continued to operate in our country as recently as 1978. As mental health practitioners, we know that collective recognition and commitment to action are necessary, and are first steps toward a more inclusive community of health and recovery.

We call on non-Indigenous mental health practitioners to participate in Indigenous Peoples Day by practicing and continuing to develop cultural humility, and by committing to learn about Indigenous history and culture. As a supervision community, we recognize Indigenous rights and self-determination. We model cultural humility in our supervision of others. We believe seeking support should never include enduring racism or the need to adapt to Western models of change and intervention, and are intentional about continuing to learn culturally relevant practices.

We extend sincere gratitude to Indigenous mental health providers, in New Mexico and across the United States, and recognize their contributions to building rich, culturally relevant and inclusive mental health practices and contributing to community well-being.”

Photo Credit: Indigenous Missing and Murdered Women's Taskforce