Multicultural Psychology Commons^™

S’Klallam Wellness: Community Engagement Project, Rachel Smart

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The S’Klallam Nation, composed of three federally recognized tribes, has experienced historical, intergenerational, acute, and complex trauma. Supporting S’Klallam wellness requires cultivation of an understanding of how Native people have faced, and continue to face, and overcome these challenges. A review of literature related to Native wellness, reveals the importance of enculturation. A community engagement project, reveals how exploring cultural arts and activities as modes of fostering wellness is beneficial to the S’Klallam people. The relationship between the expressive arts therapies, including dance/movement therapy, as defined by western academic institutions is questioned.