This year in honor of Native American Heritage Month, MSP’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance (IDEA) created a weekly spotlight honoring members of the Native American and Alaska Native communities. Each week of November, IDEA sent a community email highlighting a Native American trailblazer in the field of psychology. Here we have pulled together those spotlights into a post to reflect on the important contributions of these individuals to the profession.
Carolyn Lewis Attneave, PhD
Week one’s spotlight focused on Dr. Carolyn Lewis Attneave (1920-1992). Dr. Attneave is the founder of The Society of Indian Psychologists. The mission of The Society of Indian Psychologists is “to advocate for the psychological well-being of American Indians and other Indigenous peoples and to advance knowledge pertaining to Indigenous psychology.”
Her book Family Network: Retribalization and Healing is available in the Moustakas Johnson Library for members of the MSP community who are interested in reading it.
Marigold Linton, PhD
Week two’s spotlight highlighted Dr. Marigold Linton. Dr. Linton attended the University of California, where she became the first Native American to earn a doctorate degree in psychology in the United States. Dr. Linton is a founding member of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science and the National Indian Education Association.
Arthur McDonald, PhD
Week three’s spotlight featured Dr. Arthur McDonald. Dr. McDonald was the first Native American man to receive a doctorate degree in psychology. He played a major role in establishing the American Indians into Psychology Program (INPSYCH) and as a result of this work was awarded the American Psychological Association’s Presidential Citation.
Melissa Tehee, PhD, JD
Week four’s spotlight highlighted Dr. Melissa Tehee. Dr. Tehee is the director of the American Indian Support Project, based out of Utah State University. She also oversees the Tohi Lab, a research lab using the traditional medicine wheel to emphasize culturally appropriate practice in psychology.
