University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1998 An exploratory study of community trauma and culturally responsive counseling with Chamorro clients. Patricia Taimanglo Pier University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Pier, Patricia Taimanglo, "An exploratory study of community trauma and culturally responsive counseling with Chamorro clients." (1998). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 1257. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/1257 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF COMMUNITY TRAUMA AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE COUNSELING WITH CHAMORRO CLIENTS A Dissertation Presented by PATRICIA TAIMANGLO PIER Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 1998 School and Counseling Psychology Patricia Taimanglo Pier 1998 (5) Copyright by All Rights Reserved AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF COMMUNITY TRAUMA AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE COUNSELING WITH CHAMORRO CLIENTS A Dissertation Presented by PATRICIA TAIMANGLO PIER Approved as to style and content by: Allen E. Ivey, Chairperson of Committee ACKINOWLEDGIMKN I S My journey through this paper was made possible by the countless gifts of support, time, and energy from my family, professors, participants, and friends l)r Allen F Ivey, my deepest gratitude for your unconditional faith in my work Dr Janine Robert, I am indebted to you for your enriching energy, keen eye for detail and supportive voice throughout the process Dr. Ronnie Janofl-Bulman, my sincere appreciation for your kind words of encouragement and support. Dr. Deidre Almedia, my deepest regard for your ever-present questions asking me to delve deeper beyond the obvious, including traditional healing practices and cultural issues. Drs Eduardo and Bonnie Duran, my sincere appreciation for your conceptualization of the ^'soul wound" that provided a framework for understanding the impact of colonization on indigenous people throughout the world and the Chamorro people My deepest appreciation to Brenda Nishimura for your ever-present support. You have been my eyes, ears, and legs at the University of Massachusetts in my absence. You have literally held and walked with me though the process all the while extending your support at each crossroad To you I am eternally gratetijl. 1 am also indebted to Belinda Corteza for your gifts of friendship, sisterhood, patience and commitment as you have waded through the interviews and data analysis. Your keen eye and thoughtful remarks made the most challenging part of this adventure endurable. faith in Pano Rodis, I am eternally gratefiji for your enduring friendship and deep my ability to complete this monumental task Dr Judy Daniels and Dr Michael iv D' Andrea, my deepest appreciation for your gifts of selfless mentoring and support over the years. To Dorothy Douthit at the Academy of the Pacific as well as to Debbie and Nick Souza, my warm appreciation for your kind gift of a quiet peacefiil space. To the participants, my deepest gratitude for generously sharing of yourselves and your time. It is my hope that this work expresses your views vsith integrity: I trust that I have presented your voices in a manner that is ever mindful of your insightful observations and perceptions. To each of you, I impart the highest regard for your unyielding gifts of support and service to the people of Guam. My parents, Vicente and Vicenta Taimanglo, as well as my brothers and sisters have been a constant source of faith, support and unconditional love that has made this challenge possible. To my extended family and the Chamorro people of Guam, I hope this work conveys my highest esteem for all the people of Guam the vitality, richness, complexities that has been woven into the Chamorro culture. In addition, 1 hope that it calls attention to the needs of our people and how the muffled silence and whispering of tragedies may be changed to open discussions of acknowledgment that speaks of our strength and faith that has come through us from our ancestors and as we pass it on to future generations. This arduous journey could not have been accomplished without the strength and love of my family, Ed, Alison, and Aaron Pier, to whom this work is dedicated. Your countless sacrifices and unyielding faith has enabled me to endure. Alison and Aaron you V have exhibited the grace and wisdom beyond your years. It is my hope that you will embrace the richness of your Chamorro heritage. Ed, your companionship and faith is deeply appreciated beyond words and marks yet another adventure we have shared in this life. vi ABSTRACT AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF COMMUNITY TRAUMA AND CUL I URAI i Y RESPONSIVE COUNSELING WH H CHAMORRO CLIENTS MAY 1998 PAFRiClA TAIMANGLO PIER, B A , UNIVERSITY OF GUAM M Ed , UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI I, MANOA Ph D , UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Allen E Ivey Trauma is multidimensional and affects people directly as well as those of future generations. There is a profound absence in the literature of the community traumas experienced by the Chamorro people of Guam, The Chamorros are the indigenous people of Guam and have endured a history of near annihilation and subjugation by the Spanish (1521-1898), subsequent colonization by the American government ( 1 898-present) and invasion and occupation by the Japanese military during World War II Additional trauma has been experienced as a result of the Vietnam War. The challenge for counselors and therapists is to provide effective and culturally responsive counseling to their Chamorro clients. This qualitative study explored the impact of historic events on the Chamorro people through in-depth interviews with nine participants who have had extensive experience working with Chamorro clients. It also explored culturally responsive treatment strategies that may be helpful for those unfamiliar with this population. t Vll The findings highlighted cultural strengths as well as cultural barriers to treatment, Therefore, services provided to this population may be facilitated by an understanding of the history, culture, values, and beliefs of the Chamorro people of Guam. The study identifies a paradox of cultural adaptability. On the one hand, the culture's richness and vitality has enabled many of the people not only to survive but to thrive, in spite of a long history of traumatic experiences. On the other hand, it also presents a population in need of mental health services due to the stressors of cuhural adjustment (e.g. loss of land and way of life, loss of language, identity conftision and substance abuse) and some of the same institutions and traditions that also serve as a source of strength.. This study has implications for the training, research, and practice in the helping field It includes suggestions for the treatment of trauma, community trauma, and intergenerational transmission of community trauma as well as assessment issues. • • • VIU TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABSTRACT ^ Chapter p^g^ I AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF COMMUMTY TRAU^ CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE COUNSELING WITH CHAMORRO CLIENTS 1 Introduction 1 Problem Investigated 1 Purpose of the Study 4 Dissertation Outline 7 II. LITERATURE REVIEW 9 Introduction 9 Psychological Trauma 10 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 10 Trauma 14 Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma 15 Community Trauma 16 Multicultural Counseling 18 Traditional Therapies 19 Muhicultural Counseling and Therapy (MCT) 20 Culturally Responsive Counseling & Psychotherapy 21 Chamorros: As a Culture in Focus 24 Demographics 28 Geography 29 Origin of the Word "Chamorro" 30 The Early Chamorros 31 The Chamorro People 32 Political Status 33 Conclusion ix III. METHODOLOGY 3^ Design Participants 39 Survey Instrument 40 Research as a Process for Shared Exploration 41 Procedure 4I Transcripts 43 Data Analysis 44 IV HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS OF CHAMORRO CLIENTS 48 Understanding Historical Traumas 48 Ethnic Identification 48 Guam's Historical Time Line 50 Pre-contact or Ancient Chamorro (1500 B C. to 1521 A D.) ... 51 Spanish Era (1521-1898) 53 The Naval Administration (1898-1941) 58 Japanese Occupation (1941-1944) 64 Post Worid War II (1944-present) 69 Vietnam Era (1961-1975) 70 Images of Guam 71 Culture in Transition 72 Benefits of Americanization of Guam 75 Mental Health Concerns of Chamorros 76 Cultural Identity 77 Soul Wound 78 Pain of Loss 80 Pain of the Neglected 81 Trauma 82 Intergenerational Posttraumatic Stress 84 Stress of Cultural Adjustment 85 Personal Reflections 85 X V. RESULTS gg Introduction gg Section I: Practitioners' Background and Nature of Their Work 89 Section II: Cultural Strengths and Stressors 91 Sense of Belonging 91 Family Identity 93 Cultural Identity 94 Cultural Pride 97 Mechanism for Coping with Change 98 Cultural Guidelines 100 View of Women 104 Spiritual Beliefs 104 Section: III: Description of Chamorro Clients 106 Presenting Problems 106 Sources of Clients' Stress 113 Trauma Symptoms 120 Section IV: Impact of Historic Community Trauma 123 Chamorro-Spanish War or Spanish Colonial Rule