Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Dr. Catherine LaBrenz
Second Advisor
Dr. Anne Nordberg
Third Advisor
Dr. Regina Praetorius
Abstract
Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing have the power to strengthen social work and healing practices for all communities. This study explores how relationships and connections create spaces that feel more like ceremony than research, where trust, storytelling, and shared knowledge guide the way. Bringing Native/Indigenous (N/I) men together in Talking Circles, this work reflects how culturally rooted approaches can shape meaningful mental health support that honors lived experience and community care. Instead of following rigid models created outside of Indigenous ways of life, this approach prioritizes relational accountability, centering voices often excluded from traditional research. Through conversations with N/I men in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, five themes emerged: connection, cultural identity, leadership, vulnerability, and tradition. These themes go beyond words; they reflect how the men showed up for one another, shared their truths, and built something deeper than data. This work affirms that healing cannot be separated from relationships and that when people feel seen, they open up in ways that lead to lasting change. More than a study on mental health, this project is a reminder that honoring relationships should be central to social work, community work, and research everywhere.
Keywords
Indigenous, Repowering, Native Men, Indigenous Men, Decolonized
Disciplines
Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Silva-Brave, Stephen, "Repowering Through Indigenous Research Methodologies: A Case Study of Culturally Appropriate Mental Health Interventions for Native/ Indigenous Men" (2025). Social Work Theses. 212.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses/212