OTPH/Behavioral Health and Substance Use

Introduction

Balance and harmony are core beliefs for Native Americans when it comes to health and wellness. This teaching is presented by many Native cultures through the medicine wheel, which highlights the importance of interconnectedness by balancing emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical health. Different Tribal Nations have different medicine wheel teachings according to their values, stories, songs, and beliefs.

To address the wide array of behavioral and public health needs of our member Tribal Nations, the Office of Tribal Public Health (OTPH) incorporates the principles of the medicine wheel into our programs, functions, services, and activities. The medicine wheel’s comprehensive approach to health helps us to develop programmatic activities from a place of strength, resiliency, and empowerment. We develop events, webinars, activities, and programs to improve behavioral health while ensuring that emotional, social, and physical elements are incorporated.

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The Medicine Wheel

The medicine wheel highlights the importance of interconnectedness by balancing emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical health. Different Tribal Nations have different medicine wheel teachings according to their values, stories, songs, and beliefs. One thing all Tribal Nations agree upon is that all sections need to be in balance for a healthy wellbeing. Behavioral and public health issues can often be seen as an imbalance in one or more areas of those elements, which leads to an overall imbalance.

USET's Behavioral Health incorporates all elements of the medicine wheel in our partnerships with our member Tribal Nations. We accomplish this through the various activities, events, webinars, and programming that are specifically curated for each of our member Tribal Nations. The medicine wheel’s strength-based approach allows us to develop programmatic activities in a comprehensive and inclusive manner.

Incorporating the concepts and traditions of the medicine wheel into everything we do is our top priority.

Click on the images to the right to learn more about how we incorporate the concepts and traditions of the medicine wheel into our work.

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Meet the Behavioral Health Team

The USET Behavioral Health Team is focused on providing Tribal Nations with technical assistance in their efforts to promote the health of their citizens. Learn more about our current team and learn about our open positions.

Meet the Behavioral Health Team

 

 

Funding for these projects is provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tribal Epidemiology Centers Public Health Infrastructure Project (TECPHI)—Opioid Supplement, Tribal Public Health Capacity Building and Quality Improvement Umbrella Cooperative Agreement and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.