At Palo Alto University, we honor the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous communities and recognize the unique challenges they face in mental health and well-being. This page is dedicated to providing resources and support for Indigenous students and communities, emphasizing culturally responsive care and practices. We highlight the importance of healing, resilience, and well-being through connections with organizations focused on Indigenous mental health. 

Indigenous Mental Health & Wellness Resources

• The AAKOMA Project:Helps diverse teenagers and their families achieve optimal mental health through dialogue, learning, and the understanding that everyone deserves care and support.
• Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: A non-profit Tribal health organization designed to meet the unique health needs of Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Alaska. Also collaborated on a resource website called, “Health Native Youth” for culturally relevant health education.
• Center for Indigenous Health: Partnering with Native American communities to improve health and well-being. Programs include “Family Spirit,” which uses paraprofessionals from the community as home visitors and a culturally focused, strengths-based curriculum as a core strategy to support young families.
• Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health: Promotes the health and well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives of all ages by pursuing research, training, continuing education, technical assistance, and information dissemination within a biopsychosocial framework that recognizes the unique cultural contexts of this special population.
• Hozho Total Wellness: Helps Natives release stress and historical trauma through yoga to heal mind, body, and spirit.
• Inclusive Therapists: Aims to make the process of seeking therapy simpler and safer for all people, especially marginalized populations.
• Indian Health Service: An agency within the Department of Health and Human Services responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
• Indigenous Circles of Wellness: A group private practice located in Southeast Los Angeles providing quality mental wellness services grounded in holistic healing (mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical balance) through a culturally inclusive approach.
• Indigenous Wellness Collective: Tongva Land (Los Angeles) based Indigenous wellness community workshops to support the body, heart, mind, and spirit.
• National Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research: Sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health and one of four minority mental health research centers focused specifically on American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
• The National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network: A healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC).
• Native American Health Center: A non-profit serving the CA Bay Area Native Population and other under-served populations in the area with resources and services for the urban Native community, including medical, dental, behavioral health, diabetes, obesity, substance abuse prevention, HIV/HCV care coordination and prevention.
• Native Health of Phoenix: Mission is to provide holistic, patient-centered, culturally sensitive health and wellness services to all people.
• Native Wellness Institute: Exists to promote the well-being of Native people through programs and trainings that embrace the teachings and traditions of our ancestors.
• Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board: A non-profit Tribal advisory organization serving the 43 federally recognized tribes of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho; engaged in many areas of Indian health, including legislation, health promotion and disease prevention, as well as data surveillance and research, including, “Two Spirit and LGBTQ Health” for the LGBTQ community.
• Project Heal: Breaks down barriers to eating disorder healing for those who the system fails.
• Restoring Ancestral Winds: Great Basin Native Coalition educating Indigenous communities on issues around stalking, domestic, sexual, family, and dating violence. Also shares wellness organizations and feeds for Indigenous communities.
• Seeding Sovereignty: An Indigenous womxn-led collective that works on behalf of our global community to shift social and environmental paradigms by dismantling colonial institutions and replacing them with Indigenous practices created in synchronicity with the land.
• The Steven Fund: Organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color.
• We R Native: A comprehensive health resource for Native youth by Native youth, promoting holistic health and positive growth in local communities and nation at large.
• Well for Culture: A grassroots initiative which aims to reclaim and revitalize Indigenous health and wellness.

Please Note: Some states may have a health center dedicated specifically to their surrounding Indigenous community.

Other Mental Health Resources:

• National Alliance on Mental Illness