Episode 268: Mentorship As Medicine with Anna Kawennison Fetter, PhD, EdM

In this episode of Behaviour Speak, Ben Reiman sits down with Dr. Anna Kawennison Fetter, Indigenous licensed psychologist (enrolled member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; Snipe Clan), Assistant Professor at Duke School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences. They explore how Indigenous mental health is shaped by history, invisibility, and academic systems that were never designed to include Indigenous people. Anna shares how discovering Indigenous scholarship on historical loss, historical trauma, and the soul wound transformed her understanding of psychology—and of herself. Together, Ben and Anna unpack how settler colonialism shows up as chronic psychological stress for Indigenous students, especially in predominantly white institutions, through everyday experiences like erasure, identity policing, and cultural invalidation. The conversation dives into Anna’s research developing culturally grounded measures of stress and microaggressions, highlighting why traditional psychological models often fail to capture Indigenous lived experience—and why “you can’t see what you’re not measuring.” In the second half of the episode, Anna reflects on her time in an Indigenous‑led research group mentored by Dr. Joseph Gone. She explains how this collective, community‑based approach to research functioned almost like an intervention—offering mentorship, skill‑building, belonging, and hope in a system that regularly pushes Indigenous scholars out. This is a powerful conversation about: Why recruitment without structural change doesn’t work How mentorship must go beyond warmth and affirmation Why ignorance is not an excuse to disengage And what becomes possible when research finally reflects lived experience Topics Covered Historical loss vs. intergenerational trauma The “soul wound” and Indigenous mental health Microaggressions specific to Indigenous students Invisibility and identity policing in academic spaces Ethnic identity as a buffer for well-being Indigenous‑led research and mentorship as resistance Building culturally responsive systems—not just diverse ones Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2ZCs3ohuiKM   Continuing Education Credits (https://www.cbiconsultants.com/shop) BACB: 1.5 Ethics IBAO:  1.5 Cultural QABA: 1.5 Ethics CBA/CPD: 1.5 Cultural Diversity  Follow us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behaviourspeak/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/behaviourspeak TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behaviorspeak Contact Dr. Fetter: https://psychiatry.duke.edu/profile/anna-fetter https://www.annakawennison.com/ Research Discussed: Fetter, A. K., Christophe, N. K., & Thompson, M. N. (2025). Measurement invariance of the revised multigroup ethnic identity measure among a national sample of Native American and Alaska Native college students. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000758 Fetter, A. K., Wiglesworth, A., Rey, L. F., Young, A. R., Azarani, M., & Gone, J. P. (2024). Supporting the Next Generation of Indigenous Psychologists: An Illustrative Case Example. The Counseling Psychologist, 52(7), 1174-1202. https://doi.org/10.1177/00110000241283697 Fetter, A.K., Williams, M. & Thompson, M.N. Perceived Racial Misclassification Among Native American and Alaska Native College Students: Preliminary Evidence for a Culturally Relevant Stressor. Race Soc Probl 18, 27 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-026-09493-1 Fetter, A. K., & Thompson, M. N. (2023). The impact of historical loss on Native American college students' mental health: The protective role of ethnic identity. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 70(5), 486–497. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000686