Strengthening Tribal community recovery and mental health support
Official title: Assessing Cultures of Recovery in Tribal Communities - Capacity Building Core
Funded at Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations · NIH-11182712 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will build and train a local research and training team to improve culturally grounded mental health and substance use supports for Tribal communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Spokane Valley, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $362,708 |
| NIH project number | 5S06GM146095-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11182712 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are Tribal community members and Healing Lodge staff who live in or are connected to the partnering Tribal communities and who want culturally aligned mental health or substance use support or training.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not part of Tribal communities or who need immediate individual clinical treatment rather than participation in community capacity building may not receive direct benefit.
What this research studies
If I'm part of a Tribal community, this project will create a permanent Research and Training unit at the Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations to strengthen local capacity. Staff will receive hands-on training to run culturally based programs like xaʔtus/First Face for Mental Health and to train both clinical and non-clinical community members. The Research and Training Manager will collect brief pre- and post-training feedback to learn about people’s experiences, effects, and limitations of the training. Findings and summaries will be shared with the community and prepared for publication with community permission.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make mental health and substance use supports more culturally relevant and accessible for Tribal community members.
How similar studies have gone: Culturally tailored training and community-led programs have shown promise in improving engagement and outcomes in Indigenous populations, but local adaptation and evaluation remain important.
Where this research is happening
-
Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations
Spokane Valley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gray, Heather M — Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations
- Study coordinator: Gray, Heather M
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.