Creating recovery supports for Tribal youth and communities
Assessing Cultures of Recovery in Tribal Communities
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · HEALING LODGE OF THE SEVEN NATIONS · NIH-11182702
This project builds a mental-health first response called xaʔtus to help Native American youth in recovery and their tribal communities respond to mental-health and substance-use challenges.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | HEALING LODGE OF THE SEVEN NATIONS (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (SPOKANE VALLEY, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11182702 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you or a young person in your family is from one of the partner Tribal nations, this project partners with communities and the Healing Lodge to create a mental-health first response called xaʔtus that fits Indigenous values. Tribal leaders, youth, families, and clinicians co-design the program so it reflects local traditions and needs. Teams collect feedback, stories, and measures from youth in residential recovery and from community services, then adapt and pilot the response across partner tribes. The goal is to strengthen local recovery supports and give families tools to respond to mental-health or substance-use crises.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Native American adolescents and young adults from the partner Tribal nations who are in or recently completed residential addiction treatment, along with their families and local service providers.
Not a fit: People who are not from the participating Tribal communities or who do not have substance-use or recovery needs are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide tribal youth and families culturally rooted tools and community systems to prevent crises and support longer-term recovery.
How similar studies have performed: This work builds on prior CIRCLE NARCH programs that co-created the xaʔtus model with tribal partners, though wider testing across communities is still in progress.
Where this research is happening
SPOKANE VALLEY, UNITED STATES
- HEALING LODGE OF THE SEVEN NATIONS — SPOKANE VALLEY, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: WHELSHULA, MARTINA — HEALING LODGE OF THE SEVEN NATIONS
- Study coordinator: WHELSHULA, MARTINA
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.