Case of Jessie

Abstract

The case study demonstrates social-emotional stresses experienced by a Native American girl enrolled by her parents in an all-Native boarding school in the middle 1960s. Jessie was raised in a remote region of a large reservation in the Pacific Northwest by traditional parents. She struggled with personal and cultural conflicts until her physical illness brought educational and health professionals together to develop an effective treatment program. Her case demonstrates the importance of holistic methods of treatment when evaluating the needs and treatment of Native American children.