NECU Faculty participates in UNPFII panel discussion
Dimapur, May 7 (MExN): Dr Ningsangrenla Longkumer, Faculty of Psychology North East Christian University spoke on the effectiveness of indigenous healing practices for mental health problems in Nagaland at the recently concluded side event of the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).
The panel discussion organised by the UN NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Health Subcommittee was entitled ‘Indigenous Healing Ways for Mental Health: We know they work; now it’s time to spread the word’.
The event was held on April 29 and moderated by Prof R Jaipal, Clinical and Cross- cultural Psychologist, Representative of the APA at the UN, and member of the NGO Committee of the UN on the Rights of IPs and Chair of its Health subcommittee. The panel comprised of four speakers including Stefanie Gillson MD – Psychiatric Resident at Yale University School of Medicine; Maria Crouch a clinical community health psychologist and Pre-Doc Fellow at Yale School of Medicine; Kyle Hill – Clinical Psychologist at Johns Hopkins American Indian Health Center in Duluth Minnesota and Ningsangrenla Longkumer – Clinical Psychologist and faculty member of North East Christian University in Nagaland India.
Dr Ningsangrenla spoke about her research on the effectiveness of indigenous healing practices for mental health problems in Nagaland.
The panel bought together indigenous mental health professionals and researchers from North America and India to discuss the current utilization of traditional healing practices for mental health, and research on the effectiveness of indigenous treatment outcomes. It was aimed at fostering dialogue between mainstream and traditional medicine practices, and their integration as the best way forward for mental health care services in general.
The event was co-sponsored and organized by the American Psychological Association at the UN, the Sunray Meditation Society, USA and by the Health Subcommittee of UNPFII.
