Title

Family Therapist Connecting and Building Relationships with Substance Abusers in the Seminole Tribe of Florida: An Ethnographic Study

Author

Sunny Nelli Khachatryan, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – Department of Family Therapy

Advisor

Christopher Burnett

Committee Member

James Hibel

Committee Member

Shelley Green

Abstract

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine the process of a family therapist entering and then navigating the cultural system of working with substance abusing Seminole tribal clients. The study also utilized two tribal members sharing their opinions about how Seminoles view therapy. As noted in the interview questions and responses, the research presented guidelines for family therapists to follow when working with tribal members. Because there has been no study conducted with family therapists providing clinical services to tribal members, this study introduced tools for clinicians to keep in mind and utilize when working with tribal clients.

The interviews illustrated what specific routes therapists may take with tribal clients in order to join and connect. This study provided the field of family therapy an opportunity to become familiar with the Seminole tribe, and guidelines of how to remain mindful when working with this unique population. These results were supplemented by the researcher providing personal reflections on her experiences with tribal clients.

NSUWorks Citation

Sunny Nelli Khachatryan. 2015. Family Therapist Connecting and Building Relationships with Substance Abusers in the Seminole Tribe of Florida: An Ethnographic Study. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – Department of Family Therapy. (8)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dft_etd/8.