Practices to Support Perinatal Mental Health within American Indian Communities | August 25, 2026
Date of Presentation: August 25, 2026
Type: Past Presentation
Audience: Clinical
Program: Pregnancy Care and Access
Keywords: #cultural strengths #historical trauma #maternal #maternal health #mental health #perinatal
In this presentation, Ċante Nakanishi explores the critical need for proactive perinatal mental health support within American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Ċante examines how historical trauma, systemic gaps, and cultural strengths intersect during the perinatal period and reviews practical, culturally responsive skills to identify symptoms, utilize appropriate screening tools, and how to apply an integrated framework that honors Indigenous ways of knowing alongside clinical best practices.
Presented by:
Ċante Nakanishi
LMFT | Mental Health Therapist/Clinical Supervisor, Mino-Bimaadiziwin Wellness Clinic
Ċante Nakanishi is a couples and family therapist and recently completed her doctorate degree in Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on maternal mental health, issues impacting intercultural couples, and historical trauma healing. Her work bridges lived experience, clinical insight, and evidence-based approaches to support American Indian communities.
Dr. Patricia Capo
Faculty
Dr. Patricia (Tricia) Capo, MD, FACOG, is an ObGyn physician at Alaska Native Medical Center and Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. She graduated from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and completed her residency training at The Mayo Clinic and Greenville Hospital System in South Carolina. Tricia has an inherent passion for Indigenous women’s health. She is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and grew up on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. As a physician and a patient in the IHS system she hopes to provide a unique perspective and strive for quality care for Indigenous people.
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Date added: August 18, 2026



















































































