November is National Native American Indian & Alaskan Native Heritage Month

Emily Morales, Psy.D., LMFT, Diversity Chair • November 8, 2025

Hello SGVPA Folx,


It's National Native American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month


November is Native American Heritage Month and here are some resources that can be shared with clients and colleagues. We honor the communities and cultures that have enriched our American identity. The founding of our nation comes at the cost of many cultures, lives, and marginalization of the indigenous peoples of this continent. The hope is to learn more about the indigenous cultures of our nation and acknowledge all their contributions to this great nation. - https://lacountylibrary.org/native-american-heritage-month/


We are situated on the native lands of the Tongva People and we share the earth that housed so many generations of indigenous peoples. We must honor those that came before us and acknowledge as Angelinos that the Tongva People are still here.  https://gabrielinotongva.org/


History:

"November is federally recognized as National Native American Heritage Month (NNAHM). During this month, American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) are honored and celebrated for their rich and varied cultures, traditions, history, and societal contributions. NNAHM gives us an opportunity to become more educated about Native Americans, increase our knowledge of unique challenges faced by this population, and better understand how historical trauma—such as colonization and genocide—has impacted Native peoples."  https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/celebrating-national-native-american-heritage-month

https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/

https://www.bia.gov/NNAHM

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/American_Indian_Heritage_Month.htm

Resources For Ways to Decolonize Thanksgiving and Honor Native Peoples on Thanksgiving:


"The idyllic story that the Wampanoag welcomed the grateful pilgrims to a celebratory feast that we now honor as Thanksgiving fails to acknowledge the history of settlers’ land expansion, biological warfare, and exploitation that irreparably destroyed Indigenous lives and communities. At the Center for Social Solutions, we acknowledge the falsehoods in these long-perpetuated narratives and aim to decolonize Thanksgiving by coming to terms with its origins and honoring a future in which Native peoples, cultures, and histories are celebrated." - 

https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/11-ways-decolonize-your-thanksgiving-and-honor-native-peoples 

https://lsa.umich.edu/social-solutions/news-events/news/digests/ways-to-decolonize-thanksgiving.html

https://www.iup.edu/news-events/news/2021/11/make-your-thanksgiving-more-meaningful-with-history-you-never-knew.html

https://unexpectedvirtualtours.com/resources/native-american-heritage-day/


Sincerely,

Emily Morales, Psy.D., LMFT, Diversity Chair

Latest Blog Posts

October is Domestic Violence Prevention and Awareness Month

By Emily Morales, Psy.D., LMFT, Diversity Chair • October 6, 2025
Hello SGVPA Folx, It's that time of the year again to wear our purple ribbons and advocate! Intimate partner violence affects millions of people in the United States every year according to the CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/index.html My journey into the psychology and therapeutic world started out at the Santa Cruz County Women's Crisis Support Center - Defensa de Mujeres. I became a volunteer for their organization and completed their 100 hour volunteership training in 2005. I was introduced to this topic through advocacy in my AP English class in high school so when the volunteer opportunity arose I was ready to do my part. Both having a personal interest and an advocacy interest in domestic violence I have been able to incorporate this topic into every year of training and continue to assist this population in a therapeutic setting. I have been wearing my purple ribbon for advocacy and awareness since 2003. Please feel free to share these resources with friends, family, colleagues, clients, and community members. Intimate partner violence reaches into every socioeconomic range, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and level of education. We can be safe spaces and strongholds for our community.

September is Hispanic Heritage Month

By Emily Morales, Psy.D., LMFT, Diversity Chair • September 18, 2025
Hello SGVPA Folx, It's Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 - October 15 September is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month starts September 15th through October 15th. Although the name is Hispanic Heritage it is meant to capture Latino/a individuals. "Hispanic usually refers to people with a background in a Spanish-speaking country, while Latino is typically used to identify people who hail from Latin America." - https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-difference-between-hispanic-vs-latino-5082005 The resources presented today will be ways to celebrate and honor the Hispanic Latin@ population, resources to inform yourself on what to do with anti-Hispanic/anti-Latino sentiment, and access to Spanish language resources. "Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15. It began as a week-long celebration in 1968 under President Johnson and was expanded to a month by President Reagan 20 years later in 1988. The month-long celebration provides more time to properly recognize the significant contributions Hispanic/Latino Americans have made in the United States.." - https://latino.si.edu/learn/teaching-and-learning-resources/hispanic-heritage-month-resources/hispanic-heritage-month

September is Suicide Prevention Month

By Emily Morales, Psy.D., LMFT, Diversity Chair • September 4, 2025
Hello SGVPA Folx, Let's Start the Conversation! I would like to share some support resources for Suicide Prevention and Awareness. September is a month filled with a lot of transitions and bringing to our attention a part of our population and community struggling with suicidal ideation. We can all be a support and start the conversation. I am sharing the NAMI resource toolkit link. Another website that is called "Seize the Awkward," gives a breakdown of ways to talk about mental health crisis, have a conversation about noticed behaviors or concerns with those you love, or clients you serve. This is an opportunity to create dialogue to prevent death by suicide. If you are a survivor of suicide loss there are resources available to you as well.
Show More