1. Written
and
Oral
Testimony
provided
to:
The
United
States
Department
of
Justice
Task
Force
on
American
Indian
and
Alaska
Native
Children
Exposed
to
Violence
Defending
Childhood
Initiative
April
17,
2014
Submitted
by:
Matthew
A.
Taylor
Director,
Montana
Safe
Schools
Center
Senator
Dorgan,
Co-­‐chair
Shenandoah,
distinguished
members
of
the
committee;
it
is
an
honor
to
be
with
you
today.
I
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
share
reflections
from
the
work
myself
and
colleagues
have
been
invited
to
do
in
partnership
with
tribes.
My
comments
are
informed
by
work
as
Director
of
the
Montana
Safe
Schools
Center
and
through
my
affiliated
work
with
the
National
Native
Children’s
Trauma
Center.
Both
Centers
are
housed
at
the
University
of
Montana.
However,
these
comments
are
my
opinions
only
and
do
not
necessarily
reflect
those
of
the
University
of
Montana
or
agencies
such
as
the
U.S.
Substance
Abuse
and
Mental
Health
Services
Administration
which
funds
our
Trauma
Center
and
the
National
Child
Traumatic
Stress
Network
to
which
our
Trauma
Center
is
a
member.
First
off,
let
me
say
that
our
organizations
recognize
that
that
most
American
Indian
Tribes
share
a
collective
history
of
military
subjugation;
forced
removal
from
ancestral
homelands;
prohibition
of
tribal,
religious,
and
cultural
practices;
and
forcible
removal
of
children
from
their
families
to
be
sent
to
boarding
schools.
This
is
deeply
tragic
and
represents
some
of
the
darkest
chapters
of
our
national
history.
As
a
consequence,
many
tribal
communities
suffer
from
the
historical
effects
of
trauma.
Mental
health,
behavioral
health,
school
and
child
welfare
systems
serving
Indian
Country
face
the
challenges
of
serving
clients
and
students
with
high
levels
of
recent,
direct
and
historical
trauma
resulting
from
sexual
abuse,
suicide,
violence
exposure
and
loss.
They
do
so
with
resources
inadequate
to
address
the
problem.
Yet,
in
my
experience,
most
workers
in
these
agencies
are
resourceful
and
hopeful.
They
are
committed
to
the
wellbeing
of
children
and
adults
alike.
At
some
level,
most
share
a
belief
in
the
inherent
resilience
and
deep,
culturally
rooted
strengths
that
these
children
and
their
families
possess.
At
the
same,
time
these
dedicated
professionals
must
confront
their
own
levels
of
violence
and
loss
exposure
and
many
are
faced
with
addressing
their
own
secondary
or
vicarious
traumatization
because
of
the
stories
they
hear
from
those
they
serve.
The
research
is
clear,
unidentified
and
untreated
childhood
trauma
has
deleterious
effects
on
health,
school
performance,
contact
with
the
justice
system
and
life
span
as
evidenced
by
findings
such
as
the
Adverse
Childhood
Experiences
study.
Each
of
you
are

2. well
aware
that
American
Indian
and
Alaska
Native
children
are
disproportionately
affected
by
trauma
and
have
limited
access
to
mental
health
services.
Similar
to
others
who
have
testified
before
you,
my
colleagues
and
I
firmly
believe
that
trauma
is
treatable
and
preventable
and
that
youth,
family,
tribal
and
community
resilience
is
a
key
asset
in
our
collective
efforts
to
improve
services
across
Indian
Country.
We
argue
that
some
of
the
most
promising
approaches
involve
evidence-­‐based,
trauma-­‐informed
interventions
joined
with
practices
that
promote
tribal
language,
culture
and
traditional
healing.
If
we
are
to
adequately
support
children
and
families
in
a
lifelong
journey
of
wellness
then
we
must
look
at
approaches
that
engage
the
communities
they
live
in.
However,
relevant
to
the
status
of
clinical
treatment
in
Indian
Country
is
the
reality
that
many
Native
people
are
justifiably
skeptical
of
western
Euro-­‐centric
medicine
and
mental
health
care
–
even
if
those
services
are
readily
available.
We
must
promote
initiatives
that
reduce
stigma
associated
with
receiving
trauma
informed
care
and
mental
health
services.
For
example,
this
may
include
involving
elders
in
suicide
prevention
campaigns,
partnering
with
tribal
councils
to
promote
resilience
oriented
early
childhood
supports
for
parents
and
tribal
head
starts.
I
respect
that
many
families
in
Indian
Country
are
mistrustful
of
schools
given
the
role
many
educational
institutions
had
in
perpetuating
the
kinds
of
trauma
I
just
mentioned.
If
schools
engage
with
families
and
the
community
respectfully,
and
in
acknowledgement
of
this
potential
for
mistrust,
then
using
the
public
school
system
as
a
venue
for
some
community
behavioral
health
services
can
significantly
reduce
stigma
around
accessing
such
services.
The
reality
is
that,
regardless
of
setting,
schools
are
the
de
facto
mental
health
provider
for
youth
in
the
United
States.
After
fourteen
years
of
work
with
reservation
schools,
we
conclude
that
school-­‐based
providers,
with
culturally
appropriate
training
and
support,
can
effectively
implement
evidence-­‐based
practices
such
as
Cognitive
Behavioral
Intervention
for
Schools
(CBITS),
Trauma
Focused
Cognitive
Behavioral
Therapy
(TF-­‐CBT),
Applied
Suicide
Intervention
Skills
Training
(ASIST),
Sources
of
Strength,
safeTALK
(Suicide
Alertness
For
Everyone),
and
promising
practices
such
as
the
Child
and
Family
Traumatic
Stress
Intervention
(CF-­‐
TSI)
and
the
Attachment,
Self-­‐Regulation
and
Competency
(ARC)
framework
for
child
serving
agencies.
Our
experience
has
taught
us
that
with
such
services,
American
Indian
youth
show
significantly
improved
behavioral
functioning,
reduced
symptoms
of
trauma
and
less
PTSD.
Trauma
interventions
represent
a
critical,
"upstream
approach"
for
many
of
the
most
pressing
and
costly
health
issues
many
tribal
communities
face.
As
troubling
as
the
impacts
of
trauma
exposure
are,
the
good
news
is
they
are
also
reversible.
Indeed,
the
use
of
evidence-­‐based
interventions
can
be
highly
effective,
very
healing,
and
can
even
promote
posttraumatic
growth.
Results
from
the
National
Center
for
Child
Traumatic
Stress’
extensive
Core
Data
Set
help
expand
the
knowledge
base
for
understanding
and

3. treating
childhood
trauma.
The
Core
Data
Set
also
shows
that
American
Indian
and
Alaska
Native
children
demonstrate
significant,
positive
gains
with
such
interventions.
To
be
more
broadly
accepted,
community
outreach
in
native
communities
needs
to
better
explain
how
such
practices
can,
in
fact,
be
complementary
to
traditional,
spiritual
practices.
Such
outreach
also
needs
to
engage
the
opinions
of
all
stakeholders
involved
in
creating
a
community
of
healing.
In
particular,
this
involves
youth
themselves
and
their
parents
or
caregivers.
In
a
2012
publication
within
Children’s
Service
Review
entitled
“Promoting
Youth
Voice
in
Indian
Country”
my
colleagues
Drs.
James
Caringi
and
Rick
van
den
Pol
along
with
Bart
Klika,
Ashley
Trautman,
and
your
fellow
committee
member
Marilyn
Bruguier
Zimmerman
argued
that
far
too
often,
in
the
spirit
of
“helping”
youth,
many
initiatives
unintentionally
silence
youth
voice.
Youth
who
have
participated
in
advisory
councils
and
focus
groups
concerning
wellness
and
resilience
describe
a
keen
interest
in
learning
more
about
their
traditional
tribal
cultures
and
languages.
For
example,
in
an
unpublished
survey
conducted
at
the
request
of
one
tribe’s
wellness
council
40.4%
of
the
students
said
they
currently
use
traditional
supports,
61.8%
expressed
interest
in
learning
more
about
their
culture,
11.2%
said
they
had
been
given
an
Indian
Name,
and
34.8%
said
they
wanted
to
be
given
such
a
name.
When
the
perspectives
of
youth
are
sincerely
engaged
I
believe
the
nature
of
clinical
services
and
community
initiatives
changes
for
the
better.
Instead
of
a
focus
on
reducing
the
negative
impacts
of
trauma
and
loss,
such
initiatives
begin
to
shift
focus
towards
explicitly
promoting
resilience,
to
supporting
the
protective
factors
that
give
youth
hope
and
which
strengthen
the
social
support
networks
they
already
have
but
which
are
often
less
known
to
adults.
In
addition
to
both
creating
venues
for
youth
voice
to
be
heard
and
integrated
into
the
outlining
of
services
and
the
provision
of
trauma
informed
care
to
children
and
their
families,
we
must
not
loose
sight
of
the
providers’
own
wellness.
Tribal
behavioral
health
staff,
Indian
Health
Service
employees,
Bureau
of
Indian
Affairs
and
tribal
child
welfare
workers
and
school
employees
give
so
much
of
their
lives
to
children.
But
those
of
us
in
the
trauma
and
violence
prevention
field
know
that
there
is
a
cost
for
caring.
Secondary
traumatic
stress
(STS)
-­‐
sometimes
referred
to
as
“compassion
fatigue”
is
very
real
yet
often
unrecognized
or
unaddressed.
It
impacts
employee
absenteeism,
turnover
and
significantly
reduces
these
individuals’
ability
to
help
affected
children
and
families.
Strategies
that
promote
collaboration,
self-­‐care
and
professional/personal
balance
can
significantly
offset
the
impacts
of
STS
and
are
critically
needed
in
Indian
Country.
A
community
orientated
commitment
towards
wellness,
recovery
from
trauma
and
prevention
of
violence
exposure
involves
many
facets.
Levels
of
trauma
exposure
vary
considerably
from
individual
to
individual
and
community
to
community.
For
trauma

4. informed
trainings
and
clinical
services
to
be
relevant
in
Indian
Country
they
need
to
remain
flexible
and
respect
local
wisdom
and
practice.
For
issues
as
complex
as
trauma
which
have
intergenerational
impacts
and
historical
roots,
no
single
intervention
is
the
solution.
From
my
perspective,
which
is
heavily
focused
on
engaging
with
schools
and
behavioral
health
systems,
here
are
a
number
of
strategies
that
help
support
youth
resilience
and
reverse
the
impacts
of
trauma:
• School
systems
can
implement
ongoing
(vs.
reactive)
suicide
prevention
programs
as
part
of
their
curriculum.
• School
systems
should
develop
school
emergency
management
plans
which
reflect
the
latest
guidance
outlined
by
the
U.S.
Department
of
Education
in
response
to
President
Obama's
Now
is
the
Time
Initiative
to
reduce
gun
violence.
• Programs
that
celebrate
resiliency,
cultural
identification,
youth
leadership
and
particularly
peer
support
should
be
incorporated
and
sustained
in
schools.
They
should
be
seen
not
as
extracurricular
programming
but
as
essential
to
academic
and
social
achievement.
• Schools,
law
enforcement,
tribal
courts,
child
welfare
and
behavioral
health
agencies
can
actively
promote
wellness
plans
and
support
networks
where
staff
and
administration
are
able
to
seek
support
and
advice
from
peers,
counselors
or
elders.
Self-­‐care
should
be
modeled
and
celebrated.
We
must
recognize
that
staff
essential
to
the
well-­‐being
of
children
may
themselves
become
at
high
risk
for
secondary
trauma,
compassion
fatigue
or
burnout.
• Schools
can
partner
with
tribal
and
community
agencies
to
offer
support
groups
for
parents.
Similarly,
they
should
provide
take
home
information
regarding
traumatic
stress,
parenting
tips,
and
community
resources
for
all
parents
but
particularly
those
who
are:
responding
to
challenging
behavior
from
their
children,
noticing
increased
risk
taking
or
suicidal
behavior
in
their
children,
or
responding
to
loss
of
their
children's
friends,
pets
or
other
family
members.
• All
school
personnel,
tribal
court
officials
and
juvenile
justice
staff
who
are
in
positions
to
support
students
should
receive
training
on
how
to
identify,
support
and
refer
youth
who
may
be
at
risk
for
traumatic
stress
and
suicide.
This
includes
staff
such
as
home-­‐school
coordinators,
bus
drivers,
coaches
and
early
childhood
educators
who
may
see
students
in
after
school
settings.
• Parents,
students
and
elders
can
powerfully
advocate
for
safe
places
where
students
experiencing
violence
or
at
risk
for
self-­‐harm
can
go
during
the
evening
and
summer.
Such
resources
are
often
sorely
lacking
in
rural,
tribal
communities.
Public
awareness
campaigns
and
support
for
transportation
to
such
locations
should
be
part
of
this
initiative.

5. • Communities
can
implement
drug
and
alcohol
prevention
programs
at
the
earliest
possible
grade
levels
so
that
such
programs
become
a
central
part
of
curriculum,
community
outreach
and
after-­‐school
programming.
• Federal
and
tribal
support
can
help
schools
provide
cognitive
and
social
skills
building
curriculum
into
the
daily
learning
activities
for
all
students,
at
every
grade
level.
• Support
for
school-­‐wide
bully
prevention
programs
(to
include
cyber
bullying)
must
be
expanded.
According
to
the
Indian
Health
Service’s
2011
American
Indian/Alaska
Native
Behavioral
Health
Briefing
Book
27.5%
of
Native
youth
in
grades
6-­‐12
experience
bulling
as
compared
to
20.1%
of
students
nationwide
and
30.9%
Native
students
report
engaging
in
bullying
behavior
compared
to
18.8%
nationally.
• Schools
can
embrace
opportunities
for
tribal
elders
to
interact
with
students
as
mentors
–
both
during
school
hours
and
in
after
school
cultural
activities
and
to
adopt
“strength-­‐based”
programming
that
promotes
native
languages,
cultural
identification
and
community
engagement.
Schools
and
communities
must
affirm
their
commitment
to
understanding
the
mental
and
social
needs
of
their
students
in
order
to
provide
a
safe,
nurturing
environment
where
both
academic
and
psychosocial
needs
will
be
met.
Similarly,
programming
decisions
should
be
prioritized
to
help
support
school
mental
health
and
substance
abuse
programs.
In
a
community
of
caring,
regardless
of
whether
it
is
in
rural
or
urban
Indian
Country,
we
must
work
harder
to
increase
our
students'
feelings
of
belonging
in
the
school
and
their
connectedness
to
a
cultural
or
family
identity.
We
must
also
never
loose
site
of
our
children's
innate
resilience.
In
keeping
with
the
organizational
missions,
as
well
as
that
of
the
National
Child
Traumatic
Stress
Network
my
colleagues
and
I
join
with
you
and
local
partners
in
the
belief
that
collaboration,
honoring
tradition,
and
fostering
every
individual's
resilience
create
a
rich
ground
where
hope
and
healing
grow
strong.
I
thank
and
respect
the
entire
committee
for
your
kind
attention
and
for
your
dedication
to
children.
Respectfully
Submitted,
Matthew
A.
Taylor
Director,
Montana
Safe
Schools
Center