A member of the Caddo Tribe whose work focuses on child abuse and neglect, suicide prevention, and parent-child therapy
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Dr. BigFootopens in new window directs the Indian Country Child Trauma Center within the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She was selected to attend the White House conference on children’s mental health and is past president of the Society of Indian Psychologists. Dr. BigFoot is an enrolled member of the Caddo Tribe with affiliation to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana.
Dr. BigFoot’s work focuses on child abuse and neglect, suicide prevention, and parent-child therapy, with a specific focus on American Indians and Alaskan natives. For example, she directed Project Making Medicine, a national training program for mental health professionals that emphasizes the use of traditional teaching and beliefs in the prevention and treatment of child abuse in Native youth, families, and communities.
Bigfoot, D. S., & Funderburk, B. W. (2011). Honoring children, making relatives: The cultural translation of parent-child interaction therapy for American Indian and Alaska Native families. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 43(4), 309–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2011.628924opens in new window
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(8), 847–856. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20707opens in new window
Race, Development, Culture, Abuse & Neglect, Health and Wellness
The development of resources to broaden diversity and representation in the teaching of high school psychology resources is an APA Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools initiative supported by funding from the American Psychological Foundation David and Carol Myers Fund. This resource was developed by Eric Castro, Shawn C.T. Jones, PhD, Allyn Olsen, and Catherine Sanderson, PhD.