Native American Youth and Cultural Adversity: A Conversation with Tatewin Means and Christopher Lobanov-Rostovsky
This webinar is for clinicians, behavioral health providers, community health workers, and school mental health workers based in the United States who are responsible for the care and treatment of Native American Youth.
Native American youth are disproportionately experiencing mental health challenges in tribal communities where there is often a lack of prevention and treatment resources. Teen suicide, substance abuse, interpersonal violence, and other traumas are common within this underserved population.
This conversation looks at the historical antecedents and current climate and discusses the challenges for service provision to Native American youth, including federal, state, and local efforts and limitations to serving this population. Finally, issues related to interpersonal violence prevention and intervention within tribal communities are explored.
Who's Presenting
Tatewin Means
Tatewin Means, a member of multiple Native American nations in South Dakota, holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University in Environmental Engineering, a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School, and a Master of Arts from Oglala Lakota College. She has a background in human rights advocacy and has served as the Attorney General for the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Currently, she is the Executive Director of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, focusing on Indigenous liberation through language, lifeways, and spirituality.
Christopher Lobanov-Rostovsky
Christopher Lobanov-Rostovsky was appointed as the deputy director of the Division of Criminal Justice in August 2024. From 2006 until August 2024, he served as the Program Manager for the Office of Domestic Violence and Sex Offender Management, overseeing the work of both the Sex Offender Management Board and Domestic Violence Offender Management Board within the Colorado Department of Public Safety. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing sex offense treatment and supervision standards, approving treatment providers, and providing legislative and policy input.
Mr. Lobanov-Rostovsky also serves as a Native American tribal training and technical assistance associate for the National Criminal Justice Training Center (NCJTC) at Fox Valley Technical College, a role he has held since 2009. Through this work, he has trained tribal professionals on sex offender management, treatment, and substance use interventions, and has provided technical assistance for program development and evaluation.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) since 1990. Mr. Lobanov-Rostovsky has provided training and technical assistance for a variety of federal, state, tribal, and private agencies to develop and enhance policies and practices. He was the co-project consultant lead for the U.S. SMART Office’s Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative (SOMAPI) and has published numerous journal articles and book chapters related to sex offender management public policy. He is the recipient of the 2015 National Adolescent Perpetration Network Advocacy Award for his work promoting evidence-based policies and legislation. Earlier in his career, he worked as a clinician and approved treatment provider and evaluator for both adult and juvenile populations involved in the criminal justice system, including clients who were perpetrators or victims of sexual crimes.