Iva GreyWolf, PhD
President of the Society of Indian Psychologists
1. Who (or what) has inspired you? Who were/are your role models and why?
Coming from poverty and having children my first priority was getting a job that could help me support my family. Through undergraduate education I was exposed to different ways of life, different ways of parenting. I found all of it exciting. I loved learning. My priorities changed as I had new experiences. There were behavioral health providers that offended and demeaned the people they were hired to help. I knew I could do better so I returned to graduate school. That was difficult because I had no real family support for doing that. Quite clearly the message was my priority was to keep my family together and to care for them. My teenagers did not want to leave their friends. Once I made the decision to be in graduate school my priority changed to not wanting to fail.
The most influential people in my life were not well educated by western standards. A few didn’t even have high school diplomas yet their wisdom still amazes me. Gentle, good humored, not interfering with my decisions and accepting me when I made mistakes. They were powerful role models steady in love and perseverance. They taught me the importance of family and history and cultural practices to stay grounded. I can only repay them by doing the same for others. One example of that is hunkapi, the making of relatives. Through ceremony my family has adopted three daughters so they are honored to have more family to care for them. They are my hunka daughters and precious in my life. For some of their children I am the only grandmother they have and I hope to give back some of what I have been blessed with.
2. What are the three most important lessons you have learned that have kept you productive, effective and fulfilled (at peace)—lessons you’d pass on to others?
Value work partners beyond the field of psychology and nurture those relationships. In the best interest of clients we need to partner productively with other fields such as law-enforcement, medicine, addictions treatment, social work, education and so on. There is more than enough work for all of us. We need community, none of us succeeds alone.
Value relationships and treat others as you would want to be treated. If you are in a position of power at work this particularly applies to delivering corrective or disciplinary messages.
Good humor can promote positive feelings. Our work can be heavy at times and it helps us let go of some weighty feelings.
3. What has worked for you in balancing (managing) your professional and personal lives?
Gratitude. No matter the situation there is something in our world to be thankful for.
I kept a gratitude journal for years and the habit of being thankful throughout the day has not left me. For me, engaging in creative activities is rewarding. I am fortunate to have space togarden extensively. Much of my gardening is solo work so I can think and sort while I’m being physically active. One of my names is “Good Plants” and that guides me.
4. Research on people from marginalize communities or with stigmatized identities has increasingly focused on stress and its effects on health and well-being. As a psychologist with multiple marginalized identities, please talk about some of your own challenges and adversity and your strategies for self-care and managing stress.
Truly I have witnessed the pain of my relatives that are easily identified as being non-white and have been treated poorly because of their appearance. My father being refused room at a hotel, my sister being told they don’t serve her kind in a restaurant...this list goes on extensively. The point being it is extremely painful to watch those you love mistreated. Knowing of similar experiences from grandparents in boarding school and on the reservation adds to the painful memories. We have an epidemic of violence impacting indigenous people including sexual assaults and our lost relatives including the numerous missing and murdered. Because I am on social media it is a daily bombardment of missing and murdered cases, assaults, requests for prayers for seriously ill relatives or those that have died. We say they walked on or went to the camp on the other side. In response, my faith roots me and moves me. I believe my ancestors are with me and I recognize the many sacrifices they made for me to be here today. My well-being requires reflection and daily prayer for myself and others. Action to serve others is necessary in my life. I must be a role model of compassion in action. My children and grandchildren and other relatives need hope and a path to follow. Our path is not easy. Balance is possible. Embracing life and acting in love while I am here is my goal.
5. What is state of the field in education, training and practice for grappling with these issues?
Overall the US education system is woefully inadequate in providing factual information about our historic treatment of minority/marginalized populations in this country and abroad. With the deliberate fragmentation of Native American families, many of our people do not know their own history. I’m talking about the loss of family through wars, forced assimilation, adoptions, relocations, boarding schools just to name a few. It was not until 1978 with the Indian Religious Freedom Act that we could openly practice many of our ceremonies for healing. (Note: We now have to deal with cultural appropriation of ceremonies.) Perhaps it is because we are a marginalized group that we are very aware that other groups such as Asians within this country have also suffered. How many of us have been educated or have taken the time to learn about the suffering of other groups? in addition to being treated differently because of appearance or language many of us have the intersecting factors of a high Incidence of poverty, substandard housing, under-funded health care and religions other than Christianity. There is a need for more informed psychologists to serve our most marginalized communities. In our cultural circles there are multiple paths to healing that reach beyond the scope of evidence based practices that insurance will reimburse for. With all of the obstacles many of us fully embrace life because we have been fortunate enough to have elders teach us to persevere. We continue to give voice to the needs of our people and recognize we need our strong allies. Thank you/Pinamaya for this opportunity to speak.