TPC Journal-V6, Issue 4- FULL ISSUE

The Professional Counselor /Volume 6, Issue 4 340 the population most affected by exposure to violence, has not been researched. It is important for counselors to know whether the existing research on self-blame is applicable to the Native American community in order to understand whether techniques must be altered. If self-blame was determined to be more or less prevalent among this population, researchers can help instruct counselors how to alter interventions to better account for cultural factors. Researchers should aim to better understand the barriers to Native Americans living on tribal lands in obtaining mental health services. Specifically, the interpersonal factors in seeking services, the capacity of individuals to find services, and the role of bureaucracy in limiting resources should be further investigated. Gaining a greater understanding of efficient methods of deploying mental health services to Native American populations is only beneficial if administering services is a realistic possibility. Given that Native American people have a history of being diminished and marginalized in the interest of research (Walters & Simoni, 2009), research efforts need to be conducted in a culturally appropriate and ethical manner (Brown-Rice, 2013). If the mental health community were to commit to these research endeavors, it would provide a sufficient foundation for creating changes in the effectiveness of the treatment of this highly victimized population. Conflict of Interest and Funding Disclosure The authors reported no conflict of interest or funding contributions for the development of this manuscript. References Arbuckle, J., Olson, L., Howard, M., Brillman, J., Anctil, C., & Sklar, D. (1996). Safe at home? Domestic vio- lence and other homicides among women in New Mexico. Annals of Emergency Medicine , 27 , 210–215. doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(96)70325-6 Bachman, R., Zaykowski, H., Lanier, C., Poteyeva, M., & Kallmyer, R. (2010). Estimating the magnitude of rape and sexual assault against American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology , 43 , 199–222. doi:10.1375/acri.43.2.199 Beals, J., Manson, S. M., Croy, C., Klein, S. A., Whitesell, N. R., & Mitchell, C. M. (2013). Lifetime prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in two American Indian reservation populations. Journal of Traumatic Stress , 26 , 512–520. doi:10.1002/jts.21835 Bichsel, R. J., & Mallinckrodt, B. (2001). Cultural commitment and the counseling preferences and counselor perceptions of Native American women. The Counseling Psychologist , 29 , 858–881. doi:10.1177/0011000001296007 Bigfoot, D. S., & Schmidt, S. R. (2010). Honoring children, mending the circle: Cultural adaptation of trauma‐ focused cognitive‐behavioral therapy for American Indian and Alaska Native children. Journal of Clinical Psychology , 66 , 847–856. doi:10.1002/jclp.20707. Bohn, D. K. (2003). Lifetime physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse, depression, and suicide attempts among Native American women. Issues in Mental Health Nursing , 24 , 333–352. doi:10.1080/01612840305277 Brown-Rice, K. (2013). Examining the theoretical underpinnings of historical trauma among Native Americans. The Professional Counselor , 3 , 117–130. doi:10.15241/kbr.3.3.117 Bryant-Davis, T., Heewoon, C., & Tillman, S. (2009). From the margins to the center: Ethnic minority women and the mental health effects of sexual assault. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse , 10 , 330–357. doi:10.1177/1524838009339755