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Coming Full Circle

April 13, 2016

Tribal program helps put former Nikiski High School student on a good path

Ts ilq u Circle designated talking piece: feather

In the Ts’ilq’u Circle, participants may speak when they are holding the designated talking piece. Some choose the eagle feather, others choose a different item.

It’s about 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday in March, and Nico Castro finally has a chance to relax.

Life is busy for this 18-year-old living in Anchorage. When he isn’t working at the mechanic shop – like he did this day, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – you can find him on campus at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, where he is enrolled in automotive technology courses and pursuing a degree.

These days, life is good for Castro.

These days, life is different for Castro.

“I’ve totally changed my life and my view on life and my attitude in general,” said Castro, who attended Nikiski High School. “I find myself focused on my job and my future and my goals.”

Castro attributes the turnaround to his experience participating in the tribe’s Ts’iłq’u Circle, which means, “coming together as one.” The Circle is administered at the Tribal Courthouse in Old Town Kenai and serves different purposes, but most simply is a place where people come to have important or difficult discussions in a good way. The tribe has operated the program since the mid-2000s.

Many Circle participants are teenagers, like Castro, who are referred from the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice or the state court system. In these cases, it’s a diversion program for youth who have pleaded guilty or no contest to a first offense and received a suspended sentence pending completion of the Circle. But the Circle is more than that.

Curt Shuey, who has coordinated the program for about a decade, said it’s open to families, coworkers or anyone facing tough circumstances. The Circle is a place for those who need to talk and make important choices.

“People can come to the Circle for any reason,” Shuey said.

The Circle is predicated on unity and has guidelines designed to foster trust, honesty and respect. A talking piece is passed around to ensure each participant can speak freely and without interruption. Participants sit in chairs, without a table or other obstructions between them.

When someone facing legal consequences comes to the Circle, they bring with them people who are important in their lives – parents, siblings, friends, coaches. The group works together to create a plan for the subject to make amends for the offense.

Each member of the Circle – including the person facing trouble – has an equal say in the plan. The plan is not finalized until every participant agrees. The plan is then put into action and the Circle periodically reconvenes to gauge progress, make adjustments and assure the plan is ultimately completed.

“It’s an approach toward justice where people take responsibility for themselves and they have some input into what they think should happen to make things right and get on a good path,” Shuey said. “It’s not punishment-focused. It’s a different mindset and approach to the court system.”

Castro came to the Circle in high school after he was caught consuming alcohol and a judge gave him the choice of going to youth court or the Circle.

He participated with his mother, a neighbor and Shuey. The group devised a plan that required Castro to speak to a younger person about his mistakes, the idea being for the youngster to learn from Castro’s story and have a chance, simply, to talk. The plan also called for Castro to regularly attend church.

What resonated most, Castro said, was that everyone in the Circle genuinely seemed to care about the outcome. They spoke meaningfully, fairly and from the heart.

“I learned there are lot more people out there who care about me than I thought there was,” he said.

Castro also said it meant a lot to have a say in the outcome, which was a surprise.

Martina Georges, Circle co-coordinator, said the collaborative approach is one of the most powerful aspects of the Circle, especially for young people accustomed to being told what to do.

“They are thinking they are going to get in trouble and they are going to be sentenced,” Georges said. “But the more the Circle goes on, you can just see their body start to relax. They are starting to think, ‘Oh, wait a second, they are not telling me what I should do. I’m being included to find a solution.’”

For Castro, the experience changed his attitude not just about discipline but life in general. Before the Circle, he said he used alcohol to cope and had little enthusiasm for life.

But these days, life is different for Castro.

These days, life is good for Castro.

“My big emphasis on it is I had a lot more motivation to do something with my life after that Circle,” he said. “It just helped me out a lot.”


 

CIRCLE GUIDELINES

  • Honor the talking piece
  • When the talking piece is passed around, only the one holding it should speak
  • Speak from the heart – Speak the important things that need to be heard, with honesty, courage and humility
  • Speak in a good way
  • Choose your words with care for others. Do not attack or manipulate. Be brief and leave time for others.
  • Listen in a good way
  • Listen to learn, to understand. Give respectful, interested attention. See things through the speaker’s eyes, even if you disagree.
  • Remain in the Circle
  • Commit to the Circle until everyone agrees to stop, even if it becomes tense or difficult. Play your part.
  • What is said in the Circle, stays in the Circle
  • Be trustworthy. The stories and words of others are not to be shared in gossip or backbiting.

Filed Under: Stories

Kenaitze Indian Tribe

Locations

Kenaitze Administration • (907) 335-7200
Dena'ina Wellness Center • (907) 335-7500
Early Childhood Center • (907) 335-7260
Yaghanen Youth Programs • (907) 335-7290
Tyotkas Elder Services • (907) 335-7280
Na’ini Family and Social Services • (907) 335-7600
Kenaitze Tribal Court • (907) 335-7219

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Heidi King, NCAC II, CDCS

Recovery Support Manager/Counselor
Heidi has eight years of experience in the chemical dependency field. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a minor in Women’s Studies, from the University of Alaska. She is a nationally accredited Chemical Dependency Clinician, and a state accredited Chemical Dependency Clinical Supervisor.

Heidi has a background in providing residential chemical dependency counseling. She is certified as a Conflict Resolution and Relapse Prevention Trainer with the National Association of Addiction Counselors. She is also a certified Peer Supports Trainer and Supervisor through the Alaska Commission of Behavioral Health Certification.

When she’s not serving un’ina, Heidi teaches yoga as a certified and registered instructor. She also enjoys hiking, fishing, and spending time with her child, spouse, and numerous pets, camping all over Alaska.

Heidi provides chemical dependency counseling services in group settings and individual sessions.

Heidi can personally relate to chemical dependency and is passionate about helping those seeking recovery supports. For Heidi, healing is community, and community is an important part of connection with one’s self. She sees the positive ripple effect that healing can provide throughout the community.

Fridrik Rafn Gudmundsson, MSW, LCSW

Recovery Support Manager
Fridrik has earned his master’s degree in Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He studied massage therapy in Iceland, and became fascinated with the mind-body connection. He completed his undergraduate degree in philosophy with a psychology minor.

Fridrik has had the opportunity to live in four countries and to travel to many others. He counts finding and marrying the love of his life and adopting his son among his greatest accomplishments. He is grateful to be able to live in this beautiful and sacred part of the world and to serve the Tribe and un’ina, “those who come to us.”

When he’s not serving un’ina, Fridrik loves spending time with his family, hiking, kayaking, camping, fishing, traveling, and having fun. He enjoys learning, listening to music, and taking time for spiritual practice.

Fridrik provides assessments and individual, family and group psychotherapy at Chuq’eya Qenq’a, Birch Tree House.

For Fridrik, coming to the Kenaitze Indian Tribe felt like coming home. The more he learned about the Tribe and its history, as well as the history of the Alaska Native people, the more he knew he had found a place to be of service.

Teresa A. Ford, MSW, LMSW

Behavioral Health Clinician
Teresa earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Limestone University in South Carolina, and her master’s degree in Social Work from Campbellsville University in Kentucky. Teresa’s experience includes serving homeless and other disadvantaged populations, as well as work in outpatient rehabilitation, hospice, chemical dependency, adult and adolescent counseling, and prevention.

Teresa appreciates the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s traditional values. She sees them as a driving force in how we treat ourselves and others, and how we serve those in need of help.

When not serving un’ina, “those who come to us,” Teresa spends her time bonding with her family, creating and traveling. She also enjoys learning about Alaska Native culture, exploring new hobbies, and gardening.

Teresa provides individual, family, and group therapy services. Teresa takes a variety of approaches to therapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma Focused Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Teresa has always been a helper at heart. Being able to overcome the things she experienced growing up in South Carolina empowered and inspired her to help others navigate through their life journeys.