🍂 Welcome to October! 🍂
Celebrating Native Voices, Stories & Strength
October is here, and it’s more than just pumpkin spice and falling leaves. It’s National Book Month, and at SIP we’re celebrating the powerful words and stories of Native American authors who continue to inspire, heal, and empower our communities.
Did you know?
Joy Harjo (Muscogee/Creek Nation) was the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, her poetry explores memory, trauma, survival, and cultural resilience.
Tommy Orange (Cheyenne & Arapaho) stunned the literary world with There There, a novel about Urban Native identity, mental health, and generational trauma.
Leslie Marmon Silko (Laguna Pueblo), author of Ceremony, blended storytelling with themes of psychological healing long before “trauma-informed” was mainstream.
Terese Mailhot (Seabird Island Band) wrote the bestselling memoir Heart Berries, a raw and brilliant account of love, mental illness, and cultural identity.
These authors do more than write stories, they reflect the psychological truths, histories, and healing journeys of our people. Through storytelling, we honor our past and shape our future.
The Psychology Connection
Psychology and storytelling go hand-in-hand. Whether it’s traditional oral histories or modern memoirs, Native narratives have always carried deep psychological wisdom, about grief, identity, resilience, and recovery.
At SIP we celebrate how psychology, when grounded in culture, can help reclaim wellness and strengthen Native communities. This month, we’ll be sharing book recommendations, author spotlights, and ways to use storytelling as a tool for healing.
Federal Regulations updates for 2025
Turquoise Alert: Arizona's Commitment to Missing Indigenous PersonsIn a significant legislative move, Arizona has passed House Bill 2281, establishing the "Turquoise Alert" system for missing Indigenous persons. This alert system, named in honor of 14-year-old Emily Pike, aims to raise awareness and expedite responses to cases involving Indigenous individuals. It's a step toward healing and justice for families and communities affected by such tragedies.
With the introduction of new legislation limiting EDI programs, experts are shifting toward inclusion-focused approaches to ensure support while balancing diverse needs. Leaders like Tabbye Chavous, PhD, emphasize the ongoing importance of EDI in promoting equitable access and success. Ella F. Washington, PhD, notes that EDI initiatives have faced fluctuations in support over the years, encouraging organizations to stay consistent in their commitment.
To explore more about how EDI efforts are evolving, visit the APA website.
Updates: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY2025 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule on July 10, 2024. Find more info: https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/government/cms-federal-rule
Medicare changes in 2025. The final rule on the 2025 Medicare physician fee schedule brings some good news for psychologists and aims to increase access to behavioral health services. https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/government/2025-medicare-changes
Extensions of telehealth access options. https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/telehealth-policy/telehealth-policy-updates
Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act Final Rules (“Final Rules”) Are Released: Plans and Issuers Must Prepare for January 1, 2025 Effective Date (US). Find more info: https://www.triagehealthlawblog.com/hhs/mental-health-parity-and-addiction-equity-act-final-rules-final-rules-are-released-plans-and-issuers-must-prepare-for-january-1-2025-effective-date-us/
OCTOBER RELATIVES' HIGHLIGHTS
For allies, agencies, organizations, and groups looking to produce a Land
Acknowledgment, we would like to share and amplify existing resources developed by
the Native Governance Center. We would like to urge interested parties to review in its
entirety the Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Guide.
This guide takes you through some steps to developing a thoughtful, respectful, and well-
researched land acknowledgment.
Most importantly, we urge interested folks to take time to review the Beyond Land
Acknowledgement Guide.
This resource outlines some problems with land acknowledgements, including
asking Indigenous collaborators to develop the land acknowledgment, careless or
limited research to inform the statement, and a focus on verbiage and optics rather than
steps towards tangible allyship. This guide then walks readers through developing a
meaningful action plan for Indigenous allyship that moves beyond land
acknowledgment, including a self-assessment and action planning worksheet.
Updated March 27 2025 by Brian McNeill, Ph.D. (Nez Perce and Palouse)
SIP Attends the APA 2025 Convention in Denver!!
THE YEAR 2025
